Urban League of Louisiana’s Response to Recent Supreme Court Decisions
The Urban League of Louisiana has been fighting to secure fair congressional maps in our State for many years. This fight intensified and led to legal action after the State Legislature failed to include two majority-Black districts in its most recently proposed maps. On Monday, the US Supreme Court issued an order dismissing the Louisiana Secretary of State’s request for the Court to hear arguments in the Robinson matter. This means the fight continues in lower courts as the order only removed the Supreme Court’s previous decision to pause the case. Importantly, this also creates the potential that Louisiana will once again have two majority-Black congressional districts.
While we applaud the Court’s order, this procedural win only means that the Robinson case can continue and the important question of whether the congressional maps drawn by Louisiana Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act remains. Likewise, this order does not undo the damage and weakening of the Black vote that has already transpired nor does it ensure a certain outcome for Black voters, thus, our work must continue!
The Urban League of Louisiana is resolved to support the litigation efforts of partners such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU of Louisiana, and others to ensure that Black Louisianans have the political capital they deserve. Furthermore, we call on the Louisiana Legislature to preemptively redraw our congressional maps to include two majority-Black congressional districts. We believe that this move is both judicially and morally correct.
Regrettably, while the Urban League of Louisiana remains optimistic about the future of our State’s congressional maps, we are extremely disappointed and concerned by the Court’s decision in Students for Admission v Harvard and Students for Admission v UNC, respectively. The Supreme Court’s decision in these cases to strike down Affirmative Action is an endorsement for racial inequities to become even more pervasive in our education system. Those who seek to categorize Affirmative Action as discriminatory disregard our country’s gross mistreatment of Black Americans and other underserved communities. Likewise, supporters of this decision by the Supreme Court ignored the generations of marginalized Americans who were afforded opportunities that they otherwise would not have received!
Consequently, we are committed to applying political and legal pressure as we continue the fight for Black Louisianans, fair voting rights, and those seeking fair admissions to college. The Urban League of Louisiana will not relent in its pursuit of equity and voting education in all areas of life.