State Sen. Gary Carter Jr. clashes with Republican colleague over Louisiana redistricting bills cutting Black majority seats

BATON ROUGE, La. — A tense Louisiana Senate committee hearing erupted into a sharp exchange over race and representation, as a white Republican lawmaker faced accusations of drafting legislation that disproportionately targets Black political power in the state.

State , defended a trio of congressional redistricting bills that opponents argue would systematically reduce the number of majority-Black districts in Louisiana. During a heated cross-examination, State Sen. Gary Carter Jr., D-New Orleans, accused Morris of pursuing a broader legislative pattern aimed at eliminating leadership positions held by African Americans.

The clash underscores the deep partisan and racial divisions dominating Louisiana’s redistricting process, which remains under intense legal scrutiny following a series of federal court challenges over voting rights.

Debate Over Congressional Maps

Louisiana currently features six congressional districts, represented by four white Republicans and two Black Democrats. Under questioning from Carter, Morris acknowledged that his proposed maps would significantly alter that makeup, potentially shifting the state toward a map with fewer majority-minority districts.

According to the legislative exchange, two of Morris’s proposals—Senate Bill 121 and Senate Bill 130—would reduce the number of majority-Black congressional seats from two down to one. A third proposal, Senate Bill 116, would eliminate majority-Black congressional districts in the state entirely.

When asked directly if Senate Bill 116 would leave Louisiana with zero majority-Black seats, Morris replied, "I'll take your word for it. Probably is."

Morris argued his intent was not rooted in racial demographics but rather in compliance with judicial precedents, specifically referencing the Supreme Court's Allen v. Milligan decision framework, while trying to omit race from the drafting process entirely.

"I didn't draw it with that intention," Morris said. "I left race out of it... I don't know that we should care that much about race, honestly. I think that's the whole point... is you're not supposed to use race in determining these maps."

Morris added that while the maps might reduce the number of Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation, they would "not necessarily" prevent African-American candidates from winning competitive races.

Accusations of a Pattern

The debate quickly expanded beyond congressional boundaries, as Carter questioned Morris on a series of other bills aimed at restructuring government and judicial positions in the greater New Orleans area.

Carter pressed Morris on legislation to eliminate two appellate court seats at the Fourth Circuit, as well as a pending proposal to cut between five and seven district court judges. He also noted a recently enacted law that consolidated the Orleans Parish clerk of court positions, eliminating the seat held by Calvin Duncan, a Black official.

"Out of the 11 or so judges you're seeking to eliminate, how many are African American? How many are Black?" Carter asked.

"I would guess most of them," Morris responded, defending the measures as strict efficiency reforms. He noted that Orleans Parish historically maintained twice as many judges relative to its population compared to the rest of the state, and that the consolidated clerk's position is still held by a Black official, Chelsea Napoleon.

"We consolidated the clerks because the parish of Orleans had two clerks and every other parish had one," Morris said. "It makes sense for everybody to be treated the same."

Tensions Flare Over Intent

The exchanges grew increasingly personal as Carter pressed Morris on the real-world impact of his legislative portfolio, noting that Morris could not recall the exact percentage of African-American residents living in his own Senate district.

With a forceful and passionate voice, Carter directly challenged the West Monroe lawmaker, demanding that the microphoning system capture the full weight of his objection when the committee chairman called for a sudden recess to cool down the room.

"Put my microphone back on!" Carter yelled, his voice echoing through the packed committee room. "He's suggesting he's not racist. I suggest we look at his work."

Carter later described the booming sound of his own voice in that moment not as an unprompted outburst, but as an unavoidable consequence of fighting a system that felt intentionally deaf to his community. He noted that his voice becomes loud, unyielding, and naturally amplified because "the fruits of your tree shows racism."

"Perhaps they're looking at your actions," Carter added, arguing that the volume of his presentation was required to break through the legislative indifference. "You go around the state trying to eliminate positions of leadership held by African Americans. What do you respond to people that think that you have something personally against African Americans?"

"Rather than call me racist, things of that nature... I can't help what people think," Morris replied, pointing out that one of the appellate divisions he proposed eliminating was held by a white judge, Roland Belsome. "I didn't pick anything because of race."

The sharp back-and-forth twice forced the committee chair to intervene, urging lawmakers to maintain decorum and limit the discussion to the specific redistricting bills on the day's agenda to ensure adequate time for public testimony.

The committee took the bills under advisement as the state legislature continues to grapple with drawing boundaries that can withstand both partisan warfare and federal legal mandates.