Hearing Testimony: LAGov. Jeff Landry wanted Rep. Garret Graves out in new congress map

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A federal trial to determine the future of Louisiana's new congressional map and second Black district revealed political maneuverings in drawing such boundaries Tuesday with testimony highlighting a rift between a Republican congressman and governor that has put U.S. Rep. Garret Graves' political future at risk.

Plaintiffs are arguing in Shreveport federal court that the map should be overturned because they contend its boundaries were gerrymandered solely based on race to create a second Black congressional district among the state's six.

The lawsuit challenging the map attacks the new majority Black 6th Congressional District boundaries stretching from Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Alexandria to Shreveport as unconstitutional.

But the state contends additional factors drove the map, including the politics of protecting powerful incumbent Louisiana Republicans U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (4th District), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (1st District) and Julia Letlow (5th District), a member of the Appropriations Committee that controls the country's pursestrings.

Doing so put Graves, the current 6th District congressman, in peril by dismantling his boundaries in favor of a majority Black voter population.

And that was exactly the plan of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, Democratic state Rep. Mandie Landry of New Orleans testified Tuesday as part of the defense of the map.

Landry testified it was common knowledge among lawmakers and reported widely by media that Landry would throw his support behind a map that could end Graves' career in Congress.

"The governor wanted Congressman Graves out," Landry said in her testimony. "Congressman Graves was targeted in the map. The governor and Congressman Graves had a longstanding contentious relationship. It was the one (map) we all understood would go through."

Graves had endorsed a Repubican rival on Landry in last year's governor's race that Landry won on the first ballot.

Graves has told USA Today Network he believes the map is unconstitutional and won't stand up to a court challenge.

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There was also conflicting testimony from demographers on each side about whether it was possible to draw a map with a second Black district that also adhered to traditional redistricting principles like compactness, communities of interest and commonalities.

Demographer Michael Hefner testified for the plaintiffs that it wasn't possible, concluding race "was the predominant reason for (the boundaries)."

But demographer Anthony Fairfax testified for the defense, saying he saw "many different configurations to create two majority Black districts" that also complied with traditional redistricting principles.

Both sides are presenting their case before a three-judge panel that includes Judge Carl Stewart, a Bill Clinton appointee from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judges Robert Summershays and David Joseph, both Donald Trump appointees from the Western District.

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