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Federal judge revives legal challenge to East Baton Rouge district map.
In June of 2024, five members of the Metro Council at the time, Cleve Dunn, Carolyn Coleman, Darryl Hurst, Chauna Banks, and LaMont Cole, along with two Baton Rouge residents, filed a lawsuit against the city-parish over a map passed by the Metro Council in 2022, which they claim weakened black voting strength, violating the Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act.
"We presented maps where we feel was equitable, was a 6-6 council, which did not get the 7 votes to pass, and our colleagues voted 7-5 to maintain the status quo," Councilman Cleve Dunn said during a June 2024 press conference on the lawsuit.
The suit claims the map packs large numbers of black voters into majority-black council districts, allowing white members of the council to hold the majority and have an additional majority-white council district.
But according to court documents, the case was closed, pending the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana versus Callais, which WBRZ Political Analyst James Hartman says he feels was a smart move.
"Well, the judge was very wise to stop the proceedings while the Callais was winding its way through the Supreme Court, but the judge is equally wise in bringing it back to life, so there could be some resolution to this," Hartman said.
Both parties were instructed by the judge to provide paperwork detailing the impacts of Callias on this specific case.
In documents filed by the attorney on behalf of the Metro Council members, they allege intentional discrimination and claim they have provided facts that are credible.
06/05/2026
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith turned himself in Thursday after he was accused of attacking a man during a fight at a Madisonville restaurant.
According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Smith surrendered Thursday afternoon and was booked with one count of second-degree battery and two counts of disturbing the peace. His bond was set at $10,000.
“I didn’t know who it was. He throws me to the ground, he gets up to me and he says, reeking of alcohol, ‘You’re a dead (expletive),’” Couvillion said.
A witness said they saw Smith grab a patron by the neck before several people stepped in.
“I was sitting and looked up, and I saw what I now know was Randy Smith grab a patron around his neck,” the witness said. “Three or four people jumped in and tried to pull them apart.”
Two people shot and killed a 50-year-old woman instead of the person they were targeting at a Hammond gas station early Thursday morning, Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said.
Violence is no the solution to differences or difficult situations. - EL
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