With debate already underway for an ambitious and unprecedented plan to delay the 2026 election calendar by a month, legislative leaders see only more uncertainty to come in the eventual wake of the special session that convened Thursday afternoon.
“We are not in control,” said House and Governmental Affairs Chair Beau Beaullieu. “The Supreme Court is in control.”
Last week, the high court held its second hearing on Louisiana’s legislatively created congressional map hosting a second majority-minority district. Many court watchers believe justices are poised to strike down not only the map, but the section of the Voting Rights Act the district was created to satisfy. Legislators hope to have a ruling before Christmas, but they might not get one until June.
That’s why the special session call issued by Gov. Jeff Landry was generally dedicated to the single issue of buying time. The state planned to roll out its new party primary system for congressional races next year, with qualifying in January, the first round of elections in April and party runoffs as needed in May. But this special session’s expected centerpiece law would delay that schedule by one month.
Beaullieu said he’s been told the justices have already voted and are working on their opinions now. That leaves him hopeful that a decision could be announced before the end of the year.
Should that be the case, the Landry administration and legislative leadership could then accomplish their true goal: eliminating one of Louisiana’s two majority Black, Democratic-leaning districts in exchange for another GOP seat, which is part of a larger strategy playing out in other states as endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Yet even if justices toss our current map, it’s unlikely the court would issue a replacement. Lawmakers may find solace in the Purcell principle, which states that courts should not change election rules just prior to an election, because doing so could confuse voters and create challenges for election officials.
Landry’s call contains a single item that is brief but fairly broad: “To legislate relative to the election code, election dates, election deadlines, and election plans for the 2026 election cycle, and to provide for the funding thereof if necessary.”
The ongoing special session is scheduled to conclude Nov. 13, but few lawmakers believe the process will take that long. This is the fourth special session of the term, and the second focused on the state’s congressional map.
—CASSIDY NOMINATES TRUMP FOR A NOBEL: Senate Health Chair Bill Cassidy, who is facing reelection, and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso have introduced a resolution nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for “launching Operation Warp Speed, which delivered safe and effective vaccines that saved millions of lives during the pandemic.”
—JUDICIARY COMMISSION OFFICERS: The Louisiana Judiciary Commission has elected Suzanne H. Stinson as chair and District Court Judge Bruce E. Hampton as vice chair.
— TIME FOR THE RUNOFFS: Those who survived the October ballot to fight another day will have runoffs on Nov. 15. The deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote online registration system is Saturday.
— THEY SAID IT: “That’s easy, you just buy a urine sample from a smart person.” –Journalist David Weigel, riffing on the title of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s book “How to Test Negative for Stupid,” on X
