Louisiana senators take up new US House map while South Carolina plans for extra redistricting work

South Carolina Democratic Rep. Keishan Scott looks at a proposed U.S. House district map during a redistricting hearing in a state House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday, May, 12 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) 2026-05-14T14:48:10Z Two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, state senators on Thursday are to consider a plan that would eliminate a majority-Black district while giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat in the November midterm elections. The high court’s ruling has led to a flurry of redistricting efforts in Southern states as Republicans seek to capitalize on a weakened federal Voting Rights Act. While most of those efforts are voluntary, Louisiana must redraw its U.S. House map in response to the ruling that it had illegally used race to gerrymander a majority-Black district. The debate over the shape of Louisiana’s new districts is playing out as South Carolina’s governor is ramping up pressure on lawmakers to also redistrict ahead of the midterms. President Donald Trump has encouraged numerous Republican-led states to redraw House voting districts to their advantage in a bid to hold on to control of the closely divided chamber in November. Republicans think they could win as many as 15 additional House seats in seven states that already have adopted new voting districts. Democrats think they could gain up to six seats from two other states because of new House districts. But there’s no guarantee those seats will all turn out as expected. Litigation is continuing in some states, and voters will have the ultimate say on who wins. Louisiana map scraps snaking district Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes well over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents. Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields represents the current 6th District. Under the new plan, that district would instead be clustered around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana. The new plan keeps a New Orleans-based, majority-Black district represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter while also adding a portion of Baton Rouge to it. (