Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee Move to Redraw Congressional Maps

Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee are advancing new congressional maps after the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down Louisiana’s previous map. The ruling has prompted the three states to redraw lines in a manner expected to produce additional Republican seats in the House of Representatives.

The states are working against deadlines tied to upcoming primaries and the November 2026 midterm elections. The statement said the state has a responsibility to give itself a fighting chance to send seven Republican members to Congress.

The Supreme Court issued its decision in Louisiana v. Callais just weeks before the state’s May 16 primary, with early voting originally scheduled to begin May 2. Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order postponing the House primaries while the Legislature redraws the congressional map.

The state’s Senate primary is proceeding on the original schedule, prompting complaints that the split calendar will create voter confusion. The new date for House contests has not been set, and any map the Legislature adopts is expected to face legal challenges.

Quin Hillyer, a columnist for The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge, told The Dispatch that the court’s timing placed Louisiana in a difficult position. Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, said federal courts may apply the Purcell Principle and decline to alter election rules so close to the election.

The Supreme Court previously invoked that principle this cycle when it allowed Texas to use its maps in December 2025.

2022 congressional map contained one majority-Black district and elected five Republicans and one Democrat. A later map with two majority-Black districts elected four Republicans and two Democrats; that was the map the Supreme Court struck down. State legislators must now decide whether to adopt a map similar to the 2022 version, which would likely yield a 5-1 Republican advantage, or attempt to draw a map that could produce six Republican seats.

Incumbent Republicans whose districts border the existing majority-Black districts could face diluted margins if Democratic-leaning voters are redistributed. The article noted that Speaker Mike Johnson’s district borders one of the districts in question.

Questions remain whether the new maps can be enacted in time for the midterms and whether courts will intervene. Midterm elections have historically presented challenges for the party holding the White House.