Knowing that it's reactionary positions on issues such as women's reproductive choice and gun safety laws are unpopular with the general public, the increasingly far-right Republican / Shooters / Great Replacement Party has adopted the position that their politicians should select who votes for them, not the other way around. That position is most clearly seen in their attempts around the country to gerrymander Congressional districts to consolidate Dem voters in as few districts as possible, diminishing their impact even if they are in the majority.
The latest case in point is Louisiana, where a power-hungry Republican-dominated state legislature re-drew the Congressional districts in the state to increase their power and diminish that of the Dems. But their efforts have been temporarily stymied by a ruling by Federal District Judge Shelly Dick, requiring that the Congressional lines need to be redrawn by June 20. From the Associated Press report:
“'If the Legislature is unable to pass a remedial plan by that date, the Court will issue additional orders to enact a remedial plan compliant with the laws and Constitution of the United States,' the judge wrote.
The district map was drawn up in a special session earlier this year during a legislative special session called to redraw government district lines to account for population shifts show in the 2020 census. [Louisiana Gov. John Bel] Edwards vetoed the maps but his veto was overridden. That led to a lawsuit by voting rights advocates."
The population of Louisiana is one-third black, but the Republican-proposed redistricting would have consolidated the black vote (i.e., majority Dem) into one majority-black district, as opposed to two districts that were approved. While the state's Republican attorney general has promised to appeal the ruling, it's blatantly clear that Louisiana Republicans wanted to literally halve the political power of the state's black population, and any appellate court should see right through it.
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