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Symposium Objective and Purpose

The LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy is pleased to present “Redistricting, Gerrymandering, and Drawing a Line in the Sand for America’s Future” at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center on Friday, Nov. 1, with the option of attending virtually.

The Constitution entrusts state legislatures with the primary responsibility of drawing congressional districts. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that if race is the predominant factor when state legislatures draw congressional maps, the courts should review the district applying strict scrutiny. However, the Court begins with the presumption that the legislature acted in good faith when drawing district maps. Recently, the Supreme Court has tackled allegations of racial gerrymandering, raising important questions about how future challenges to state legislatures’ congressional district maps will be addressed.

Topics, themes, and issues for the symposium may include:

• Challenges to congressional redistricting maps after Shelby County v. Holder invalidated Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act.
• The implications of the Supreme Court’s recent holdings in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Robinson v. Callais.
• The future of Louisiana redistricting after the Supreme Court temporarily approved a second majority black district in Robinson v. Callais.
• An exploration of the potential effects of establishing a second majority-black district in Louisiana for the upcoming presidential election, and the legal and political ramifications if the district is later invalidated.
• Analyzing the legal and ethical dimensions of redistricting and racial gerrymandering, including the role of the judiciary, legislative bodies, and advocacy groups.

Participants will have the opportunity to earn 3 CLE credit hours (Course #: 5170241101, Course Title: JSJP Symposium).

About the LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy

The LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy is a student-edited, academic journal based at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The journal was spearheaded in Fall 2019 by a pair of students who were interested in promoting the discussion of issues relating to social justice and public policy at LSU Law. The mission of the journal is to reach current and future members of the legal profession with fresh perspectives on controversial issues relating to social justice and policy, and address a gap in the types of matters explored in the context of academic legal writing at LSU Law. Moreover, the journal hopes to provide students with an additional forum to express their views concerning this subject and develop their legal writing skills through journal membership. The journal is committed to elevating the voices of law students, practitioners, and academics of color in legal scholarship.