Senate committee reports Morris's congressional map after late-night hearing and hours of opposition

A Louisiana Senate redistricting committee reported Senate Bill 121 to the full Senate early Tuesday after a late-night hearing marked by extended questioning of the sponsor and hours of public opposition.

The panel voted 4-3 to move the measure forward after Senator Jay Morris, the bill's sponsor, closed by saying he had submitted a map that "meets all the constitutional requirements" and preserves the core of existing districts. Earlier the committee rejected an amendment offered by the president pro tempore that supporters said would improve contiguity and communities of interest.

The vote on amendment 3686 failed on a roll call announced by the secretary, with senators Barrow, DuPlessis and Jenkins voting yes and senators Migas, Faizi, Miller and Womack/Reese voting no. The chair announced, "now the no's have it," and the amendment did not pass. Later, after another roll call, the committee approved reporting SB121 to the floor 4-3.

Opponents who testified during the public-comment period said the map dilutes Black political power, packs and cracks communities and was timed to influence ongoing elections. "This bill is built on hate," said Samara Smith, one of dozens who testified in opposition. Karen Carter Peterson, another opponent, told the committee she was troubled by comments the sponsor reportedly made about seeking to "increase Republican representation for the state of Louisiana." She called the amendment offered by Barrow "more contiguous and consistent with the redistricting principles."

Supporters and the sponsor disputed the characterization that the plan was race‑based. Senator Morris repeatedly cited the Calais decision and related case law in defending the map, saying courts had indicated that earlier versions met constitutional tests for contiguity and communities of interest. "This map meets all the requirements of the Constitution," Morris said in his closing remarks, urging the committee to move the bill onward.

Testimony from community members, civil-rights activists and local residents stretched into the early morning hours. Witnesses raised concrete figures and map features, including assertions that District 2 contains about 60% Black voting-age population and that the proposed plan splits multiple parishes'a point opponents said would further fragment urban communities like Orleans and East Baton Rouge.

Several community leaders warned the map would be litigated. Melissa Flournoy, a longtime advocacy organizer, said she expected court challenges, arguing the plan "doesn't comply with Calais" and that District 2 is a racial gerrymander that "packs 60% of Black people in one district." Other witnesses cited parity in voter registration (roughly one third each Democratic, Republican, no party/independent) and asked why a proportional outcome (for example, a 3-3 partisan split) wasn't being pursued.

Senators who defended the map and opposed the amendment said they were trying to draw a plan that would hold up in court and preserve the core of acceptable districts from earlier maps. Vice Chair Magas and others warned, however, that new changes could invite more litigation and keep the state tied up in court for years.

After the committee's action the chair thanked staff for their work and adjourned, saying the panel would reconvene in a few hours. The committee's report will send SB121 and the accompanying maps to the Senate floor, where debate and additional amendment votes are likely.

What happens next: SB121 will appear on the Senate calendar; opponents signaled they will litigate and organize politically in response, and supporters say courts and precedent will determine whether the map is legally sustainable.