NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court said Thursday that a legislative district map drawn by Louisiana lawmakers violated provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It said Louisiana couldn't have an exemption from a permanent, nationwide ban against racial discrimination in voting.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that, in some cases, Black people saw their voting strength weakened as legislators spread minority communities across multiple districts. At other times, the Legislature resorted to "packing" large numbers of Black people into Black-majority districts.

A Baton Rouge federal judge had previously thrown out the maps , which were adopted in 2022, and on Thursday the 5th Circuit agreed with the decision. The attorney general's office said it disagreed.

“We strongly d

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