Louisiana Voice

The adage it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission has never been more in evidence than in the proposed congressional map for the state of Louisiana.

It would seem that the thoroughly gerrymandered layout of the state’s six congressional districts is a done deal. I mean, after all, voters go t the polls Tuesday to elect representatives in each of the carved-out districts that will (theoretically) guarantee two black congressmen for the state.

There should be no problem with Blacks having one-third of the state’s congressional representation. After all, a third of Louisiana’s population is African-American.

But when you look at the manner in which the districts were drawn in order to get there, you get a visual image of legislators contorting themselves like they were playing a weird game of Twister. It’s really amazing what legislators (read Republicans) will do to protect their own – or at least their perceived own.

And Louisiana is by no means unique. Republican legislators in other states also did everything humanly possible to keep lily-white districts – and their Republican representations – intact.

It might be something for a SNL skit, except this is real life and it’s not necessarily funny but the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) announced Monday that it will hear arguments in the ongoing dispute about Louisiana’s congressional redistricting – next year. Early next year, months after Tuesday’s election.

Amy Howe, who publishes an online blog devoted exclusively to SCOTUS news, WROTE ON MONDAY that the court will hear Louisiana v. Callais and Robinson v. Callais. Both cases are challenges to the proposed congressional map.

“The legislature drew the map after a federal district court ruled that the prior plan, created in 2022, likely violated Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits election practices that result in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote based on race, by diluting the votes of the state’s Black residents,” she wrote. Under that 2022 plan, only one of the state’s six congressional districts was a majority-Black district while, based on 2020 census, which bore little difference to the one already in place.

NBC NEWS reported that the case pending before SCOTUS will have no effect on Tuesday’s election.

But this proposed plan, if approved by the court, is really going to put a strain, physically and financially, on candidates in the future in any hotly-contested races. The proposed 5^th District, for example, will have candidates scrambling from Morehouse, West and East Carroll parishes on the Arkansas border, all the way down to the toe of the state’s boot in the parishes of St. Helena, Tangipahoa and Washington.

And the new majority-Black district, the 6^th District? That one will snake diagonally from Caddo Parish in the state’s extreme northwest corner, southeastward to East Baton Rouge Parish, deep in South Louisiana.

Opponents went marching off to federal court where they filed their claim that the 2024 was unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. A three-judge panel of the federal district court agreed and told the state it could not use the plan in future elections.

But in May, SCOTUS, in a split ruling knocked down the federal district court’s decision, clearing the way for the Nov. 5 election.

Poor Attorney General Liz Murrill. She claims that the state is gotten itself into “an endless game of ping-pong.” I suppose that must be some new term in legalese. Howe said the state argued that “it will be sued for racial gerrymandering if it adopts another map with two majority-Black districts, but it will also be sued for violating the Voting Rights Act if it adopts a map with only one such district.”

Opponents countered with a pretty interesting argument of their own, pointing out that the federal district court never addressed the obvious effect of the legislature’s rather obvious political objective: protecting MAGA Republicans Speaker Mike Johnson, Julia Letlow, Clay Higgins and Steve KKK Scalise by protecting the purity and sanctity of their white districts. That left Garret Graves as the sacrificial lamb. Rather than face all but certain defeat in the new majority-Black district, he simply opted not to seek reelection.

With the current makeup, does anyone care to make a wager on whether SCOTUS will rule to uphold Louisiana’s heavily MAGA legislature or send lawmakers back to the drawing board – after the fact? My money is on the 6-3 MAGA majority on the Supreme Court.

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As promised (though a day late), here are the winners of the books in LouisianaVoice‘s October fund raising drive:

Bill Hammack of New Orleans, with the largest contribution, won the original copy of Huey Long’s autobiography, Every Man A King, first published by the now defunct National Book Co. of New Orleans, in 1933 – 91 years ago. Now considered a collector’s item, the book is valued at a minimum of $100.

John Sachs won a copy of Leo Honeycutt’s biography of Edwin Edwards in a special drawing of 16 entrants who each contributed a minimum of $100. The drawing was conducted by an employee of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs.

To everyone who contributed to our fundraiser: I know times are difficult and filled with uncertainty so your generosity is expecially appreciated. It’s tough for me to come to you hat in hand asking for your monetary support. At the same time, with newspaper coverage of your government shrinking more each day, it’s crucial that someone fill that gap. LouisianaVoice is unorthodox in our coverage but we attempt to peel back the layers to give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in government. Your contributions will do much to ensure that we’re able to continue those efforts.

Thank you.

Tom Aswell

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Today is the last day of our October fundraiser. Winners of the books will be announced tomorrow (Nov. 1).

The person making the largest contribution will receive an original copy of Huey Long’s autobiography, Every Man A King, published in 1933 by the now defunct National Book Co. of New Orleans. It’s considered a collector’s item that any serious collector would love to add to his or her library. Also, everyone contributing $100 or more will be eligible for a drawing for an autographed (by Edwin Edwards) copy of Leo Honeycutt’s biography of the late governor. Finally, everyone contributing $50 or more will receive a signed copy of my newest book, The Mission.

You may contribute by clicking on the yellow DONATE* button to the right of this post and following directions to make a one-time contribution by credit card.

Unlike some of the other blogs, we don’t ask for money every month. That’s because LouisianaVoice is a one-person (me) operation without a large payroll. That does not, mean we don’t have expenses, however. We do: travel, public records costs, etc. Our next fundraiser won’t be until next April, so I humbly ask for your support.

Whether you feel you can help or not, please do NOT forget to vote!

*(If you do not see a DONATE button, as some readers have indicated, click here: https://louisianavoice.com/

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There are only three days remaining in LouisianaVoice’s October fundraiser.

We still need your help in filling the void left by the cowardly Washington Post and Los Angeles Time’s refusal to endorse any candidate in the election one week from today. DON’T FORGET THAT TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR EARLY VOTING. If you miss that opportunity, DO NOT forget to vote next Tuesday!!

Also, if you can see your way clear to do so, I humbly ask for your continued support. You may contribute by clicking on the yellow DONATE* button to the right of this post and following directions to make a one-time contribution by credit card.

The person making the largest contribution will receive an original copy of Huey Long’s autobiography, Every Man A King, published in 1933 by the now defunct National Book Co. of New Orleans. It’s considered a collector’s item that any serious collector would love to add to his or her library. Also, everyone contributing $100 or more will be eligible for a drawing for an autographed (by Edwin Edwards) copy of Leo Honeycutt’s biography of the late governor. Finally, everyone contributing $50 or more will receive a signed copy of my newest book, The Mission.

Whether you feel you can help or not, please do NOT forget to vote!

*(If you do not see a DONATE button, as some readers have indicated, click here: https://louisianavoice.com/

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Kory York is the latest of five state troopers who beat, kicked and tased a helpless Ronald Greene in 2019 until he died, handcuffed and lying on the ground, to walk out of court a free man after plea bargaining his penalty down to a $1,000 fine. Third Judicial District Judge Thomas Rogers a year ago DISMISSED CHARGES against two other former state troopers, Dakota DeMoss and John Peters.

BERNARD NOBLE, an African-American, was stopped by New Orleans police as he was riding a bicycle. On the ground was a small bag of marijuana, an amount rough equivalent to two joints. He was subsequently sentenced to 13 and one-half years in prison, actually serving seven.

JOHN PAUL FUNES was found guilty in 2019 of embezzling nearly $800,000 from a children’s hospital foundation. He was sentenced to 33 months. That’s two years and nine months for stealing from sick children. He served only 14 months before his release.

An anomaly, you say? Well then, how about DEREK HARRIS of Abbeville? An unemployed Gulf War veteran, he was busted for selling $30 worth of weed to an undercover agent. He sat in jail for three years as his trial was continued (postponed) time after time before he finally opted for a judge trial instead of a jury trial.

The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison on June 16, 2012 but that wasn’t enough for the district attorney who filed a habitual offender bill of information (a bill of information is executed by the DA without benefit of a grand jury’s hearing the evidence) based on Harris’s prior arrests and five months later, on Nov. 26, he was sentenced to life without parole.

Paul R. Allen, CEO of Taylor Bean & Whitaker, one of the nation’s largest privately-held mortgage lenders, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a $3 billion (billion with a “B”) CORPORATE FRAUD SCHEME that had the ripple effect of costing about 2,000 people their jobs

ROY BROWN, a homeless African-American man, robbed a Shreveport bank but took only $100 from the stack of bills handed him. He explained that that was all he needed because he was homeless and hungry. Later that same day, overcome by remorse, he turned himself in and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

But for one-upmanship, it difficult to top RICK SCOTT. Scott at one time was the CEO of Columbia/HCA, at the time the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain. That was before Scott was ousted and Columbia/HCA in 2003 settled the largest health care fraud fine – a whopping $1.7 billion – at the time. Scott’s punishment? First, he was elected governor of Florida and later to the U.S. Senate where he continues to serve and is even being touted by some as a future Republican candidate for President.

So what’s the difference between people like Bernard Noble, Derek Harris and Roy Brown and people like John Paul Funes, Paul Allen and Rick Scott?

Money and influence. And the color of their skin.

The first three are black men, at the bottom of the highly-prejudicial economic caste system where all men certainly are NOT born equal. The other three are white men in cushy positions of influence and fortunate enough to have the money for top-notch legal representation – and perhaps, just perhaps, a little (conscious or unconscious) bigotry on the part of presiding judges.

They are not unlike WAYNE BRYANT, who was, like Harris, Brown and Noble, a low-income black man, popped with a life sentence under the state’s absurd “three strikes” laws for attempting to steal a pair of hedge clippers.

So, to what do we owe the unbelievable string of NON-PROSECUTIONS in the killing of Ronald Greene, the latest being the sentencing of former State Trooper KORY YORK to a six-month suspended sentence, a $1,000 fine and 160 hours of community service – for his part in the taking of another human being’s life?

Well, if I had to guess, I’d say it might have been the combined influence of the Louisiana State Police (LSP), the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association and a few key legislators.

If you’ve been following the 2019 killing of Greene, you’ve seen more than ample evidence of a COVERUP by LSP and you can bet the sheriffs’ association was pulling its own furtive maneuvers, especially since one of their own was among the gang that put Ronald Greene to death. And if you follow LouisianaVoice at all, you know that we have PREDICTED all along that LSP would CIRLE THE WAGONS on this and that the legislative committee empaneled to “investigate” Green’s death would do nothing of the sort.

And you can remember how the troopers initially tried to tell Greene’s family that he died when his vehicle hit a tree? That was an OUTRIGHT LIE as body cam footage “discovered” months later ultimately revealed.

Of course, attempts at elaborate coverups was not new to LSP, as LEAKED DOCUMENTS relating to academy cheating revealed about the same time as the Greene death probe was getting underway.

As ASHTON O’DWYER can attest, the manner in which the entire Ronald Greene matter was handled was indicative of LSP’s M.O. insofar as transparency with the public is concerned.

So, it seems to boil down to one simple truism: We have the best system of justice that money can buy.

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