| Good Morning, Usually, the State Capitol is relatively quiet after legislators go home. The House Dining Room has no line as the only people around are staffers finishing up paperwork from the session. Many take a day or two off waiting for the next action: when gubernatorial vetoes are issued, which takes a few weeks after annual legislative sessions end. Not so this year. A June 6 ruling, issued on the afternoon of the last day of session by U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, of Baton Rouge, ordered the Louisiana Legislature to redraw congressional election districts to allow the reasonable possibility of two minority candidates being elected to Congress instead of just one – and to do so by June 20. Two-thirds of the lawmakers already had approved the redistricted maps that favored White Republicans in five of the six congressional districts and one Black Democrat. The timing was such that a five-day special session needs to begin at noon Wednesday and last until 6 p.m. Monday, June 20. Republicans were hoping the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would postpone implementation of Dick’s order. The appellate court issued an administrative stay, called for arguments, then on Sunday lifted the delay thereby allowing the special session to continue as scheduled. Louisiana Senate President Page Cortez said Monday legislative leaders are trying to figure out how to comply with a court order to craft new congressional boundaries that can also pass the GOP-controlled Legislature. "It is incumbent on us to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States and the state," said Cortez, a Lafayette Republican. "And part of that is to respect the courts as a co-equal branch of government." The special session begins merely nine days after state lawmakers concluded a fairly successful annual session. Louisiana’s legislators didn’t get caught up in too many of the wedge political issues – such as critical race theory, Don’t say Gay and anti-vaxx– that had perplexed other assemblies. A ban on transgender athletes participating in schoolgirl sports was one and it became law when Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards refused to either sign or veto the bill. Several factors were at work, legislators say. One is that Edwards opposed these initiatives and could have vetoed them, while in other red states, conservative Republican governors, such as Ron DeSantis in Florida and Greg Abbott in Texas, put their political muscle behind these causes. With a record surplus on hand, instead of cutting taxes, Louisiana legislators focused on spending the money in ways that Edwards and Republican lawmakers alike agreed on. They used the one-time money for new and existing roads, bridges and water systems across the state and to pay down debt, rather than boost annual expenses that likely would have set up future budget deficits. Also last week, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police, probing whether troopers have a pattern of using excessive force and discriminating against Black motorists and other people of color. It’s a "pattern-or-practice" investigation that scrutinizes potential structural flaws in law enforcement agencies, which often leads to direct court oversight through consent decrees. Edwards was slated to testify at a Louisiana House hearing into the death of Ronald Greene while in the custody of the Louisiana State Police. But the hearing was postponed because of the special session. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, joined a bipartisan gun safety deal. Brokered by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, including Louisiana’s senior senator, the deal would impose modest restrictions on gun purchases, including funding for states to adopt so-called red-flag laws that allow authorities to temporarily confiscate guns from people deemed a danger. Modest by any definition, the measure has a chance of being passed in the otherwise fractured Congress. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 
