Louisiana's Republican governor issued an order on Thursday suspending his state's US House primaries to allow lawmakers to draw up a new congressional map, citing the Supreme Court's decision earlier this week that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Gov. Jeff Landry published his executive order just as early voting was set to begin in Louisiana's congressional primaries—and after some absentee ballots had already been cast. The order states that the US House primaries are "suspended for the duration of the May 16, 2026 and June 27, 2026 election cycles and until July 15, 2026 or until such time as determined by the Legislature," which is instructed to "pass legislation to enact new congressional maps."

The order was met with immediate alarm and outrage. Joel Payne, spokesperson for MoveOn Civic Action, said that "Republicans are colluding in broad daylight to try to rig the electionand silence Black voters."

"The MAGA court made their decision to gut voting rights just in the nick of time for Louisiana Republicans to postpone the scheduled primaries to slice and dice voting maps to pick and choose voters of their liking," said Payne. "MoveOn members will fight like hell against MAGA’s extreme power play in Louisiana and push for stronger voting rights to ensure we the people have the final say in our elections.”

Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), said the conservative-dominated Supreme Court has "opened the floodgates for racial gerrymandering in states across the South" with its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which severely narrowed the 1965 Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination.

"Even in ruby red states, Republicans see the writing on the wall that voters will hold them accountable for soaring costs this November, which is why they’re rigging the system to dodge accountability," said Williams. "The DLCC stands with Louisiana Democrats in their fight against Republicans’ egregious actions to suppress votes, and the mission to transform the landscape of state legislative power has never mattered more."

The Washington Post reported that Landry, an ally of President Donald Trump who took office in 2024, privately notified Republican US House candidates on Wednesday that he planned to suspend the Louisiana primaries.

"A new Louisiana map would position Republicans to gain one or two seats in the midterms," the Post noted.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump praised Landry for "moving so quickly" to suspend elections and order the redrawing of Louisiana's maps in the wake of the Supreme Court's latest assault on the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court's ruling struck down Louisiana's current map, which included two majority-Black districts.

"What is happening in Louisiana right now," warned Democracy Docket's Marc Elias, "is both a redistricting power grab and a dry run for authoritarian election subversion this fall."

If there is one thing the Republican Party should learn from President @realDonaldTrump— it’s to FIGHT!

That’s exactly what we are doing in Louisiana. Thank you for your support Mr. President! pic.twitter.com/W4rbcTuPp9
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) April 30, 2026

Trump, who has repeatedly floated the idea of canceling elections, also said Thursday that he spoke to Tennessee's Republican governor and secured a commitment to "work hard to correct" the state's maps following the Supreme Court's ruling.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) voiced support for the large-scale redrawing of congressional maps in light of the Supreme Court's decision.

"I think they should do it before the midterms," Johnson said Thursday.

Landry's order in Louisiana is already facing legal action from state residents, who argued the governor's move would disenfranchise voters.

"These harms are not speculative," warns a lawsuit filed Thursday. "They are imminent: early in-person voting commences on Saturday, May 2, 2026. They are irreparable: once an election day passes, no monetary remedy can restore the franchise."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.