Louisiana Congressional Primaries Suspended After Supreme Court Ruling

Governor Jeff Landry has postponed Louisiana's U.S. House primary elections following a Supreme Court decision striking down the state's congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The delay affects only U.S. House races, while other elections—including the U.S. Senate primary and state primaries—proceed as scheduled. Legal challenges have been filed by voting rights groups and candidates contesting the suspension.

Supreme Court Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, struck down a congressional district in Louisiana that contained a majority-nonwhite voting population. The Court determined that state officials relied too heavily on race when drawing the district, which is currently represented by Democrat Cleo Fields.

The ruling invalidated a map adopted by the state in 2024 that had created a second majority-Black district. This followed a separate legal challenge to an earlier map.

Executive Order and Election Status

On April 10, 2025, Governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order suspending all U.S. House primary elections in Louisiana. According to Governor Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, the Supreme Court ruling prohibits the state from holding elections under the current district map.

"The Supreme Court's decision leaves the state with no valid congressional map for the current election cycle."

Secretary of State Nancy Landry stated that U.S. House races will remain on ballots but votes will not be counted. Absentee ballots for those races had already been sent out to voters.

The following elections remain unaffected by the order:

• U.S. Senate primary
• State primaries and constitutional amendment votes

Updated Election Timeline

Legislative Response

Governor Landry and Attorney General Murrill stated they are working with the state legislature and the Secretary of State's office to develop a path forward. The Republican-led legislature is expected to redraw the congressional map.

Legal Challenges

Two lawsuits have been filed in response to the suspension of congressional primaries.

State Court Lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit on April 11, 2025, in a Baton Rouge state court on behalf of voting rights groups, seeking a temporary restraining order against Governor Jeff Landry and Secretary of State Nancy Landry.

Plaintiffs include:

• League of Women Voters of Louisiana
• Louisiana state conference of the NAACP
• Power Coalition for Equity and Justice
• Three individual voters—Ambrose Sims Jr., Joyce Davis Sims, and Phyllis V. Mercadel—who had already cast absentee ballots

The plaintiffs argue that the executive order is unlawful because Louisiana law only permits election suspensions due to natural disasters or health emergencies, and a Supreme Court decision does not constitute a state of emergency.

Federal Lawsuit

Democratic congressional candidate Lindsey Garcia filed a federal lawsuit on April 10, 2025, in Louisiana federal court. The suit argues that the suspension violates due process and federal election-timing laws, citing the number of absentee ballots already returned.

Statements from Officials and Observers

Governor Landry and Attorney General Murrill stated they are developing a path forward with the legislature and the Secretary of State's office.

State Senator Royce Duplessis criticized the delay, characterizing it as "changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game."

"Voters have already cast their ballots. You can't just throw those votes away because of a court ruling."

Harvard Law professor Ruth Greenwood questioned the legal basis for postponing the primary.

State Representative Kyle Green expressed doubt, noting that the court's decision does not automatically halt the election process.

Current Congressional Representation

Louisiana currently has four Republican and two Democratic U.S. House representatives. The state has a history of redistricting challenges following the 2020 census.

Related Developments

• President Donald Trump publicly praised Governor Landry and urged Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to revise that state's congressional districts.
• Florida recently adopted a new U.S. House map backed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

Senate Primary Context

On May 16, 2025, Louisiana will hold state primaries under a new system for certain offices, where candidates run in separate party primaries instead of a jungle primary. In the U.S. Senate primary, incumbent Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is facing primary challenges from state Treasurer John Fleming and U.S. Representative Julia Letlow.

As of May 1, 2025, Louisiana had approximately 3 million registered voters, with roughly 1.1 million each registered as Democrats and Republicans, and about 813,000 unaffiliated. Approximately 255,000 ballots had been cast early as of the week before the primary election.