ACLU of Alabama Urges Senator-Elect Jones to Protect Civil Liberties

BATON ROUGE, La. — A group of individual voters, the League of Women Voters of Louisiana, and the League of Women Voters of Louisiana Education Fund today filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court seeking to block Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s implementation of Gov. Jeff Landry’s unlawful executive order that attempts to suspend Louisiana’s congressional House primary elections after voting had already begun. Secretary Landry’s action seeks to discard Louisiana’s congressional map in a manner that disenfranchises tens of thousands of Louisiana voters who have already voted. Plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Louisiana, Legal Defense Fund, and the Harvard Law School Race and Law Clinic. Plaintiffs and counsel released the following joint statement: “This illegal executive order threatens the integrity of our democratic system and disregards the voices of voters who have already participated in the May primary election in good faith. By attempting to suspend an ongoing election, state officials are creating confusion, undermining public trust, and placing partisan interests above the constitutional rights of Louisiana voters. Black voters and communities that have long fought for equal political representation should not be forced to bear the burden of unlawful power grabs designed to silence their voices. Elections belong to the people — not to politicians seeking to manipulate the rules.” The executive order follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which eviscerated federal protections for voters of color and struck down Louisiana’s congressional map that had provided Black voters a meaningful opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The complaint is here.  

BATON ROUGE, La. — Today, a group of individual voters and of voting rights organizations filed an emergency motion to block Governor Jeff Landry and Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s suspension of the state’s congressional primary election after voting has already begun statewide. Governor Landry’s move opens the way for the State Legislature to redraw Louisiana’s congressional map to undermine Black political representation. Plaintiffs are the League of Women Voters of Louisiana, Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and three individual voters. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Louisiana, and Legal Defense Fund. The executive order comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which decimated federal protections for voters of color and struck down Louisiana’s congressional map that allowed Black voters the opportunity to freely elect candidates of their choice. Today’s lawsuit argues that the governor’s executive order is beyond the scope of the Governor’s authority under Louisiana law and improperly usurps the U.S. Supreme Court’s authority to decide how its ruling should apply in this year’s midterm election. Louisiana’s emergency statutes on suspending elections do not authorize the suspension of an ongoing election under these circumstances. Furthermore, the executive order sows chaos into an already-confusing election and puts at risk the votes of the many people who have already cast absentee ballots. Plaintiffs and counsel released the following joint statement: “Emergency powers are not a blank check to rewrite election rules after voting has begun, nor do they authorize the Governor to cancel votes that have already been cast to suit his political purposes. The Governor’s order is sparking chaos and is an illegal effort to erase the legally cast votes and disenfranchise thousands of people across the state. This is a shameful attempt to weaponize the Court’s recent decision at the expense of Black voters and manipulate an ongoing election. Governor Landry and Secretary Landry must serve the people and obey the law. Any last-minute effort to alter election procedures or enact discriminatory maps must be stopped.” You can find the filing online here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/05/2026.05.1-Petition-for-TRO_FINAL.pdf

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an unprecedented and unlawful effort to invade the privacy of millions of American voters and threaten their right to vote. It has demanded that every state and the District of Columbia turn over their entire voter database, including Social Security Numbers, political party affiliation, and voter participation history. And at least a dozen states have complied, submitting their voters’ information for federal review. But the Department of Justice has no authority to dictate when a voter registration should be cancelled, and we are suing to stop the federal government’s overreach and ensure that voters’ information remains secure and free from unlawful interference.