May 16, 2026 · legislation
Louisiana holds partial federal primary with House races suspended after Callais ruling
Louisiana voters cast ballots on May 16, 2026, in the Republican Senate primary between incumbent Bill Cassidy and Trump-backed challengers, while all six U.S. House primary races remained frozen by Gov. Jeff Landry's April 30 executive order. Landry invoked emergency election powers after the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais struck down the state's congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. More than 42,000 absentee ballots already cast for House races were voided.
May 15, 2026 · legislation
Louisiana Senate votes 27-10 to advance new congressional map eliminating second Black-majority district
The Louisiana Senate voted 27-10 on party lines on May 15, 2026, to advance SB 121 by Sen. Jay Morris, which eliminates the 6th Congressional District that the Supreme Court struck down in Callais. The new map dissolves the majority-Black seat held by Rep. Cleo Fields and consolidates Black voters into a single district stretching from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, pitting Fields against Rep. Troy Carter. The map projects a 5-1 Republican advantage in Louisiana's congressional delegation, up from the current 4-2 split, and must pass the House and receive the governor's signature by June 1.
Apr 8, 2026 · legislative
Louisiana Republicans abolish clerk's office won by exonerated man by 33 points
Calvin Duncan spent 28 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit before a Louisiana judge vacated his conviction in 2021. In November 2025, Duncan won 68 percent of the vote in New Orleans to become the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court, pledging to reform the very system that had failed him.
Before he could take office, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and the Republican-controlled Legislature moved to eliminate his position entirely. On April 8, 2026, the Louisiana Senate voted 25-11 to pass Senate Bill 256, authored by Sen. Jay Morris of Monroe, which merges the Orleans Parish criminal and civil clerk's offices into one position. The bill would abolish Duncan's office before his scheduled May 4 swearing-in.
Critics, including the Louisiana ACLU, called it a racist power grab targeting a majority-Black city. The bill's author acknowledged the legislation was timed to Duncan's arrival, and officials admitted the savings from eliminating the position amount to approximately $27,300 per year.
