The Supreme Court ruling will in all likelihood have a profound effect on the political future of Congressman Cleo Fields. It was his district that the lawsuit had targeted. As one might expect, Fields was not happy with the Supreme Court’s decision to declare Louisiana’s congressional map unconstitutional.
“The Supreme Court basically gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. If there is a state that can show the history of racial discrimination, that state is Louisiana,” Fields said.
So now, a new congressional map for Louisiana will need to be drawn. Whether that can be done in time for the 2026 general election remains to be seen. Fields says changing the rules at this point in the 2026 election cycle would be counterproductive.
“People have qualified for office; the election is in a week or so. That would be, in my view, unwise,” Fields noted.
Fields says the best course of action is to have a new map in place for the 2028 election cycle.