Gov. Landry calls Louisiana special session to redraw congressional maps after court order

Newly inaugurated Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called a special legislative session on January 15, 2024, to redraw the state's congressional map after a federal court ordered a second majority-Black district under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The legislature passed SB 8 during the January 15-22 session, creating a new 6th Congressional District stretching roughly 250 miles from Shreveport to Baton Rouge. Republican lawmakers who opposed the map argued it amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, setting the stage for the Callais challenge filed days later.