Story perspectives

Trump Urges Redraws, GOP Splits Black Districts, LA Halts Primary

5/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump urged states to redraw congressional lines even if it means canceling primaries.
Republican legislators in Tennessee, Louisiana and South Carolina passed or are preparing maps that split Black-majority districts.
Critics including State Senator London Lamar and NAACP Memphis president Kermit Moore called the plan disgusting and unethical.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry used emergency powers to halt House primaries after 42,000 votes were cast, leaving voters confused.

History

Historical Context

The 1993 5-4 Supreme Court decision in Shaw v. Reno, written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, struck down North Carolina’s snake-shaped majority-Black 12th district as a racial gerrymander, establishing strict scrutiny under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Republican legislators in Tennessee, Louisiana and South Carolina propose maps that split Black-majority districts, prompting NAACP criticism and the prospect of federal lawsuits that echo Shaw.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump urged states to redraw congressional lines even if it means canceling primaries.
Republican legislators in Tennessee, Louisiana and South Carolina passed or are preparing maps that split Black-majority districts.
Critics including State Senator London Lamar and NAACP Memphis president Kermit Moore called the plan disgusting and unethical.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry used emergency powers to halt House primaries after 42,000 votes were cast, leaving voters confused.

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