| Good Morning, The Louisiana Legislature made history last week by gathering its Republican majority, one Democratic representative, and three without party affiliation to overturn Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of the redistricted maps that would usher in another decade of GOP dominance in the state’s congressional delegation. It was a stinging political blow for Edwards. But at least five lawsuits have been filed alleging the maps are unfair and should be overturned by the courts. Republicans have been grousing about negating gubernatorial vetoes since asserting their independence during the opening minutes of Edwards’ tenure back in 2016. They attempted, but failed, an override in July. With last week’s override, Edwards has 22 more months to go before he has to step down and some GOP legislators are promising more overrides. This week’s history-making event will be the U.S. Senate’s vote on whether to confirm U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to become a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Louisiana’s U.S. senators – Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville – say no. But three Republican senators in a chamber that is split 50-50 Democratic to Republican have indicated they will vote to confirm Jackson. Meanwhile, highway design experts are poring over ten competing routes for a new bridge over the Mississippi River between the Interstate 10 bridge in Baton Rouge and the Sunshine Bridge near Sorrento. The idea is to drain New Orleans-bound I-10 traffic off what’s called the “new bridge,” which opened in April 1968 and has notoriously snarled traffic since. For at least one generation, lawmakers, drivers, and just about everyone else has demanded another Mississippi River bridge, which could cost about $2 billion. Gov. Edwards wants to set aside $500 million to handle the early costs of designs, property acquisition, environmental impact statements, and other studies necessary before the first pylon is driven into the ground. Republican leadership is touchy about being portrayed as supporting a new bridge despite not being sure about the governor’s plan to put aside $500 million. They say since designers haven’t even chosen a path yet, future lawmakers could sweep the bridge fund and spend that money elsewhere. Hence, the Edwards administration is moving quickly on narrowing the number of possible routes down to three by May to assuage GOP legislators’ stated fears. But their effort is being slowed by the need to gather public comment and analyze the various issues surrounding increased traffic on local roads. 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 | 
