Louisiana's congressional districts

Circuit Court of Appeals found that the drawing of Louisiana’s congressional districts was an illegal racial gerrymander by the Republican-controlled legislature, drawn to dilute the influence of African-Americans and lock in White majorities in five out of six districts, despite the former making up a third of Louisiana's population.

The court ordered the maps be redrawn with a second district with an African-American majority to reflect the state's demographics and allow them to elect a representative of their choice.

[1] The case was caught up in appeals for several months; however, the Louisiana State Assembly eventually passed updated congressional maps to adhere to the court’s ruling, resulting in a second district with an African-American majority, and widely expected to increase Democratic representation in the state from one to two congressmen (due to racial polarization in the state), at the expense of the 6th district's incumbent Garret Graves.

Areas that are within the current boundaries of Louisiana, but were outside the Territory of Orleans, were ceded by the Spanish in the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819.

From 1806 until 1811, the Territory of Orleans sent one non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.