Senator Morris urges immediate redraw of congressional map after Calais ruling

Senator Morris, the bill's sponsor, told a joint committee of the Louisiana Legislature on May 13 that the U.S. Supreme Court's Calais decision declared the state's existing congressional maps unconstitutional and therefore cannot be used for upcoming elections. "If it's unconstitutional, then they're not legal. So if they're not legal, you can't have an election on them," Morris said, urging the panel to redraw maps for the fall election.

Opposing senators and members pressed Morris on the legal and practical implications. Senator DuPlessis read aloud Revised Statute 18401.3, which the governor and secretary of state cited in declaring an emergency and pausing an election, and asked whether the two relevant committees had met as the statute requires. DuPlessis also pointed to the Purcell doctrine and noted that "about 45,000 people have already submitted ballots," asking whether last-minute map changes would disenfranchise voters or violate established practice.

The hearing focused on two core legal questions: whether Calais required the legislature to redraw maps immediately, and whether partisan mapping that favors a party can operate as a proxy for race in a way that violates the Voting Rights Act. DuPlessis quoted from a dissent by Justice Jackson warning that "a state should not be permitted to use partisanship as a proxy for race in order to evade accountability under the Voting Rights Act," and asked whether Morris's plan would diminish Black political representation under Section 2. Morris disputed that characterization, saying the maps would not prevent minorities from voting for their preferred candidates and that Calais prohibited race-based maps but did not prescribe exact remedial lines.

Committee members also discussed practical steps in state law. DuPlessis read the portion of RS 18401.3 that directs the Senate and House Governmental Affairs committees to meet and act jointly to certify emergency-related decisions; Morris said he was not aware that the joint committees had met to address the governor's emergency plan. Senators debated whether compliance with the statute and the interpretation of Calais are matters of law or mixed fact and law, with dueling views about the court's scope and the legislature's discretion.

Beyond legal argument, senators debated policy and politics. DuPlessis asked whether Morris's proposal would make congressional races more or less competitive and whether it sought to increase Republican representation; Morris acknowledged he would prefer maps that "favor Republicans" but said partisan considerations are permissible under Calais. The exchange included reference to the current partisan control of statewide offices and the number of Louisiana members in Congress (four Republicans and two Democrats), which DuPlessis used to question the public purpose of the bill.

The committee did not take a formal vote. Members discussed decorum and signaled a short recess; DuPlessis said many members of the public had stayed late to testify because they felt the bill would "take something from them," while Morris replied that citizens were free to testify within decorum. The hearing recessed for a break with no final decision recorded.

The next procedural steps were not set on the record during the segments provided. The committee's deliberations left unresolved whether the statute's emergency procedures have been followed and whether the legislature will adopt remedial maps before the fall election.