Louisiana Puts the Brakes on Primaries Over SCOTUS Ruling

UPDATE Apr 30, 2026 9:35 AM CDT

The Louisiana congressional primaries scheduled for May are officially on pause, reports the AP, with Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill saying in a statement that Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling striking down a majority Black congressional district prevents the state from holding elections under the current election map. "The State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map," Landry and Murrill said in the statement. "We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State's office to develop a path forward." Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday ahead of the May 16 primary.

Apr 30, 2026 7:24 AM CDT

Louisiana's spring ballot may be getting a last-minute shake-up. Gov. Jeff Landry told GOP House candidates Wednesday that he intends to delay the state's May 16 congressional primaries so lawmakers can first draw a new map, people familiar with the calls tell the Washington Post. The move came just hours after the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that Louisiana violated federal law when it created a second majority-Black district, a decision that weakens a core part of the Voting Rights Act and could ultimately cost Black Democrats House seats across the South. Landry wasn't alone: In the wake of the ruling, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn immediately rolled out a plan that would eliminate her state's only Democratic district, notes Axios.

Landry has not publicly detailed his plans, and it's unclear whether the pause would apply only to the six House races or also to other contests, including a high-profile GOP Senate primary. Overseas ballots have already gone out, and a split schedule could force voters back to the polls twice in short order. Legal experts say the governor's approach is unusual but likely permissible under federal law, though it may face state-level challenges. "It's naked partisanship," said UCLA election-law scholar Richard Hasen, "but under the Supreme Court's approach to voting now, naked partisanship is more of a defense than an indictment."