News brief

Supreme Court backs Black majority Louisiana district. The Supreme Court ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state’s six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats’ chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections. The justices acted May 15 on emergency appeals filed by the state’s top Republican elected officials and Black voters seeking to avoid voter confusion. 

How does gerrymandering change U.S. politics? Look at this district.