Voting rights activists protested outside the US Supreme Court on Wednesday ahead of a hearing in the Louisiana election case. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana voting rights groups, seeking to block Governor Jeff Landry and Secretary of State Nancy Landry from suspending congressional elections.
Governor Landry suspended the state's congressional primary election on Thursday, even after early voting had begun, to enact new districts for the 2026 election. This action followed the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which invalidated parts of the Voting Rights Act and ruled that a Louisiana congressional district with a majority-nonwhite voting population violated equal protection under the US Constitution.
Lawsuit Filed in State Court
The League of Women Voters of Louisiana, the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and three individual voters filed a lawsuit in Baton Rouge state court on Friday, seeking a temporary restraining order. They argued that an order delaying an election had only been issued previously due to natural disasters or similar emergencies threatening health and safety, and that a Supreme Court decision does not constitute a state of emergency under Louisiana law.
“Furthermore, the executive order sows chaos into an already-confusing election and puts Louisianians’ votes at risk, especially those who have already cast absentee ballots,” the NAACP said in a prepared statement.
Plaintiffs and Impact
The three plaintiffs—Ambrose Sims Jr., Joyce Davis Sims, and Phyllis V. Mercadel—are Louisiana voters who have already cast absentee ballots in the May 16 primary for Louisiana's fifth congressional district as currently drawn. This district would likely be dismantled by the state’s Republican mapmakers following the Callais decision.
Other races on the ballot, including votes on amendments to Louisiana's constitution, will proceed as scheduled. However, while the congressional race remains on the ballot, its votes will not be counted, according to Landry's order.
Federal Lawsuit Filed
A separate federal lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Louisiana federal court, seeking immediate action to restore the suspended congressional primary elections. Lindsey Garcia, a Democratic congressional candidate in Louisiana's fifth district, filed the suit shortly after the governor's announcement. She argued that the number of absentee ballots already returned by mail was “material” and substantial, raising constitutional due process concerns and violating federal election-timing laws.
