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Louisiana Black community loses its congressional champion after redistricting
Коротко
Scotlandville, a nearly all-Black community of about 10,000 people in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been moved into a majority-white congressional district for the second time. Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields, who grew up there, plans to leave Washington and return to the state Legislature instead of running for reelection. The second redraw followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a core part of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional.
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Scotlandville, once its own unincorporated town and now part of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a nearly all-Black community of 10,000 people that has been placed in a majority-white congressional district for the second time, according to the AP reporting carried by ABC News and PBS NewsHour. Both redraws, the reports say, took place during the term of the same representative. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The first change came in 1996, when a group of voters sued to redraw the state’s congressional lines. The second came earlier this year, after the U.S. Supreme Court decided that a core part of the Voting Rights Act intended to protect minorities’ political rights was unconstitutional. That ruling led to cascading changes around the American South, but the case originated in Louisiana, specifically the 6th Congressional District that included Scotlandville. [ 2 , 3 ]
Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields, 63, grew up poor in Scotlandville and attended local schools before graduating from nearby Southern University A&M and climbing to the U.S. House, the reports say. He now plans to leave Washington and return to the Legislature instead of running for reelection, in a race he sees little chance of winning because the district boundaries have been altered dramatically. [ 2 , 3 ]
Press Robinson Sr., 89, who has spent years working on issues involving the congressional map, told the AP: “We’re back to where we were right after Reconstruction. When they redistrict, they are not concerned about the effect it has on those of us who are people of color.” [ 2 , 3 ]
The AP account presents Scotlandville as a pocket of Louisiana at the centre of the country’s long dispute over what equal representation means, and describes it as losing a native son who residents believed instinctively understood their challenges and offered a direct line to power in the nation’s capital. The documents do not say how the community will be represented going forward, who might run in the redrawn district, or what Fields intends to do in the Legislature. [ 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
Scotlandville loses a representative the community saw as a native son with a direct line to power in Washington, according to the reporting. The ruling at the centre of the case led to district changes across the American South and originated in Louisiana, the documents say, so the outcome in and around Baton Rouge is a marker of how far those changes reach.
Ключевые факты
- Scotlandville is a nearly all-Black community of 10,000 people that was once its own unincorporated town and is now part of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. [ 2 , 3 ]
- For the second time, the community has been placed in a majority-white congressional district, both times during the term of the same representative. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The first redraw came in 1996 after a group of voters sued to redraw the lines; the second came earlier this year. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The second change followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision that a core part of the Voting Rights Act intended to protect minorities’ political rights was unconstitutional. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The case originated in Louisiana, specifically the 6th Congressional District that included Scotlandville, and the ruling led to changes around the American South. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields, 63, grew up poor in Scotlandville and graduated from nearby Southern University A&M. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Fields plans to leave Washington and return to the Legislature instead of running for reelection, seeing little chance of winning with the altered boundaries. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Press Robinson Sr., 89, who has worked on congressional map issues for years, said the community is “back to where we were right after Reconstruction.” [ 2 , 3 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Scotlandville is a predominantly Black community in the Baton Rouge area that has been placed in a majority-white district through redistricting, for the second time in the term of the same representative. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The most recent redraw followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a core part of the Voting Rights Act protecting minorities’ political rights was unconstitutional, in a case that originated in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields plans to leave Washington and return to the Legislature rather than run for reelection because of the new district boundaries. [ 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- What Cleo Fields intends to do once he returns to the Louisiana Legislature, and what role he would play there. The documents state only that he plans to return to the Legislature instead of seeking reelection; no further detail is given.
- How Scotlandville will be represented in Congress after the new boundaries take effect, or who will run in the redrawn district. The documents describe the loss of representation but do not name candidates or successors.
- The precise date and terms of the Supreme Court ruling that prompted the redraw. The documents say only that it came “earlier this year” and do not name the decision.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- The Associated Press publishes its report on Scotlandville losing its congressional champion to redistricting. [ 1 ]
- ABC News publishes the same account, headlined around the community facing a future without a champion in Congress. [ 2 ]
- PBS NewsHour carries the AP story the following afternoon. [ 3 ]