On May 1, 2026, Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order suspending the state's U.S. House primaries — scheduled for May 16 and June 27, 2026 — citing the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which days earlier struck down Louisiana's congressional map containing two majority-Black districts and gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The Callais ruling vacated the congressional map and left the state without legally drawn districts in time for the scheduled primaries. Landry's executive order took the additional step of stopping the elections themselves rather than negotiating an emergency map or alternative ballot. Trump praised Landry's action on Truth Social. House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced support for redrawing maps 'before the midterms.' Landry's own framing on social media: 'If there is one thing the Republican Party should learn from President Trump — it's to FIGHT!'
Democrats and voting-rights groups responded with alarm and litigation. Marc Elias of Democracy Docket: 'What is happening in Louisiana right now is both a redistricting power grab and a dry run for authoritarian election subversion this fall.' Joel Payne of MoveOn: 'Republicans are colluding in broad daylight to try to rig the election and silence Black voters.' Louisiana residents filed lawsuits challenging the order as voter disenfranchisement, particularly given that the suspended districts include majority-Black districts whose representation was the subject of the underlying VRA litigation. The combined effect: a state primary suspension keyed to a Supreme Court ruling delivered hours after the same six justices attended a Trump White House state dinner together — and a public Republican signal that the playbook is exportable to other states facing similar challenges before November.