Changes

==Veto of congressional redistricting bill==

==Veto of congressional redistricting bill==

In March 2022, Edwards vetoed the congressional [[redistricting]] bill because it maintains only one district with a majority of voters being African-American, a heavily Democrat constituency in Louisiana. Edwards instructed the lawmakers to shift boundaries so as to create a second African-American majority distict. Lawmakers in both houses voted by more than two thirds to override Edwards' veto<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/louisiana-governor-vetoes-new-congressional-map/ar-AAURf73?ocid=msedgntp|title=Louisiana governor vetoes new congressional map|publisher=msn.com|date=March 9, 2022|accessdate=March 10, 2022}}</ref>  

In March 2022, Edwards vetoed the congressional [[redistricting]] bill because it maintains only one district with a majority of voters being African-American, a heavily Democrat constituency in Louisiana. Edwards instructed the lawmakers to shift boundaries so as to create a second African-American majority distict. Lawmakers in both houses voted by more than two thirds to override Edwards' veto.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/louisiana-governor-vetoes-new-congressional-map/ar-AAURf73?ocid=msedgntp|title=Louisiana governor vetoes new congressional map|publisher=msn.com|date=March 9, 2022|accessdate=March 10, 2022}}</ref>  

Republican state Senator Sharon Woodall Hewitt, who represents portions of St. Tammany, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes in suburban New Orleans, explained the legal ramifications of the districting process: “You know on the one hand we had the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which says if you have a minority population of a sufficient size that’s geographically compact, it would perform as a minority district, you have to draw a minority district,” Hewitt said. "And then on the other side, we’ve got the [[14th Amendment]] and the [[Equal Protection Clause]] that says you cannot use race as the predominant reason for drawing a district. So that’s the lane that we were given to navigate. And unfortunately, this is not something you can do based on emotion, we have to follow the federal and state laws.”<ref name=redriverradio/>

Republican state Senator Sharon Woodall Hewitt, who represents portions of St. Tammany, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes in suburban New Orleans, explained the legal ramifications of the districting process: “You know on the one hand we had the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which says if you have a minority population of a sufficient size that’s geographically compact, it would perform as a minority district, you have to draw a minority district,” Hewitt said. "And then on the other side, we’ve got the [[14th Amendment]] and the [[Equal Protection Clause]] that says you cannot use race as the predominant reason for drawing a district. So that’s the lane that we were given to navigate. And unfortunately, this is not something you can do based on emotion, we have to follow the federal and state laws.”<ref name=redriverradio/>

The veto override was only the third such occurrence since the implementation of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. The approved legislative map is expected to be contested by civil rights groups and wind up in federal court for review, but conservatives are hopeful that the original map will stand.<ref name=redriverradio>{{cite web|url=https://www.redriverradio.org/news/2022-03-31/la-lawmakers-override-gov-edwards-redistricting-maps-veto?msclkid=f8c3d291b12911ec986b177e13cfa6a6|title=LA Lawmakers Override Governor Edwards' Redistricting Maps Veto|publisher=Red River Radio|author=Chuck Smith|date=March 31, 2022}}</ref>

The veto override was only the third such occurrence since the implementation of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974.<ref name=redriverradio>{{cite web|url=https://www.redriverradio.org/news/2022-03-31/la-lawmakers-override-gov-edwards-redistricting-maps-veto?msclkid=f8c3d291b12911ec986b177e13cfa6a6|title=LA Lawmakers Override Governor Edwards' Redistricting Maps Veto|publisher=Red River Radio|author=Chuck Smith|date=March 31, 2022}}</ref> Civil rights groups immediately filed suit against the legislative map. The lawmakers "once again voted in favor of a map that violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and undermines the will of thousands of Louisianans who made their voices heard throughout the process demanding fair maps and respect for Black Louisianans," according to Victoria Wengerr, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. At issue is whether a predominantly black district must be compact as with District 2 in Louisian, or if a second district can be carved irregularly so as to link minority communities across wide swaths of geography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/2022/03/31/civil-rights-groups-file-lawsuit-block-louisianas-congressional-map/7228870001/|title=Civil rights groups sue to block Louisiana's congressional map that keeps one Black district|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|author=Greg Hilburn|date=March 31, 2022|accessdate=April 1, 2022}}</ref>

==References==

==References==