A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on 18 August blocked Louisiana’s latest congressional map, agreeing with a lower court that the plan violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of Black residents. The judges—ruling unanimously—said the Republican-drawn map “packs” Black voters into one district and “cracks” others across multiple districts, depriving them of an effective bloc. The state had asked to use the map for the 2026 midterms, but the panel found “no legal basis” for doing so and left in place an earlier injunction. The decision is the latest twist in Louisiana v. Callais, already on the Supreme Court’s docket. The high court has stayed implementation of any map while it gathers additional briefing for arguments this autumn, leaving the state’s district lines in flux amid preparations for the next election cycle. Hours after the Louisiana ruling, a separate three-judge federal panel unanimously upheld Florida’s state Senate map, rejecting an American Civil Liberties Union challenge that alleged lawmakers intentionally diminished minority voting power in Tampa Bay’s Senate District 16. The judges—two appointed by Republican presidents and one by a Democrat—found race was not a predominant factor in the district’s design and concluded the boundaries complied with Florida’s Fair Districts provisions. Taken together, the contrasting opinions highlight the intense, case-by-case scrutiny courts are applying to redistricting battles nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterms, leaving key political maps unresolved in several states.