Robinson v. Ardoin

District Court, M.D. Louisiana·Decided April 25, 2024·No. 3:22-cv-00211·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

PRESS ROBINSON, ET AL. CIVIL ACTION VERSUS 22-CV-211-SDD-SDJ KYLE ARDOIN

RULING This matter comes before the Court on the Motion to Dismiss1 filed by Intervenor- Defendant, the State of Louisiana (the “State”), and Nancy Landry, in her official capacity as Louisiana Secretary of State (collectively, the “Defendants”). The Robinson and Galmon Plaintiffs (collectively, the “Plaintiffs”) filed Oppositions,2 to which Defendants filed a Reply.3 For the reasons discussed below, Defendants’ Motion will be granted. I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In March 2022, Plaintiffs brought suit against the Secretary of State challenging House Bill 1 (“H.B. 1”), which established district boundaries for Louisiana’s 2022 congressional map.4 The State of Louisiana, through the Attorney General, intervened in the suit.5 The Plaintiffs claimed that that the 2022 congressional map provided less opportunity for Black Louisianans to participate in the political process and elect the candidates of their choice to Congress. The Plaintiffs claimed that the 2022 congressional map diluted the Black vote in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (the “VRA”).6 They sought declaratory and injunctive relief, requesting that this Court (1) declare that

1 Rec. Doc. 352. 2 Rec. Docs. 357 and 358. 3 Rec. Doc. 360. 4 Rec. Doc. 1. 5 Rec. Doc. 64. 6 Rec. Doc. 1, p. 1. the 2022 congressional map violates Section 2 of the VRA, (2) issue a preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining the Defendants from enforcing the boundaries of the congressional districts as adopted in the 2022 congressional map, and (3) order the adoption of a valid congressional redistricting plan for Louisiana that includes two districts in which Black voters have an opportunity to elect the candidates of their choice.7 In June

2022, this Court found that Plaintiffs were substantially likely to succeed on the merits of their claims and granted a preliminary injunction enjoining the Defendants from conducting elections under the H.B. 1 map.8 However, the Fifth Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction and remanded proceedings to this Court. The Fifth Circuit instructed that the Legislature have an opportunity to adopt a new districting plan, and if a new plan became effective, this plan could be subject to new challenges.9 But if the Legislature failed to adopt a new plan, this Court was instructed to conduct a merits trial to decide the validity of H.B. 1 and “if necessary to adopt a different districting plan for the 2024 elections.”10 On November 27, 2023, the parties held a status conference before this

Court. At the conference, Plaintiffs moved to convert the remedial hearing on the preliminary injunction set to begin February 5, 2024, to a trial on the merits.11 Pursuant to the Fifth Circuit’s instruction, the Court ordered that if the Defendants failed to produce a new enacted map on or before January 30, 2024, this matter would proceed to a trial on the merits on February 5th, but if a new enacted map was produced, a trial would

7 Id at pp. 51–53. 8 Robinson v. Ardoin, 605 F. Supp. 3d 759, 853 and 856 (M.D. La.), cert. granted before judgment, 142 S. Ct. 2892 (2022), and cert. dismissed as improvidently granted, 143 S. Ct. 2654 (2023), and vacated and remanded, 86 F.4th 574 (5th Cir. 2023). 9 Robinson v. Ardoin, 86 F.4th 574, 601 (5th Cir. 2023). 10 Id at 601–602. 11 Rec. Doc. 315. commence on March 25th.12 On January 22, 2024, Senate Bill 8 (“S.B. 8”), which provides for the enactment of a new congressional map containing two majority-Black districts, was enacted.13 The State asserted that the enactment of S.B. 8 makes this matter moot. Thereafter, the Galmon and Robinson Plaintiffs informed the Court that they did not oppose S.B. 8, but contended this case is not moot.14 Specifically, Plaintiffs argued

that the case is not moot primarily because of a pending case, Callais v. Landry, et al. in the Western District of Louisiana, which presents a constitutional challenge to S.B. 8 .15 Defendants move to dismiss this case arguing that S.B. 8 renders this case moot. The Plaintiffs filed Oppositions, and in turn Defendants filed a Reply.16 II. LAW AND ANALYSIS A. Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss Standard When deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, “[t]he ‘court accepts all well- pleaded facts as true, viewing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.’”17 The Court may consider “the complaint, its proper attachments, documents incorporated into the complaint by reference, and matters of which a court may take judicial notice.”18 “To

survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, the plaintiff must plead ‘enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’”19

12 Id. 13 Rec. Doc. 342. 14 Rec. Docs. 346, p. 1 and 347, p. 2. 15 Callais v. Landry, No. 3:24-cv-00122-DCJ-CES-RRS (W.D. La). 16 Rec. Docs. 357, 358, and 360. 17 In re Katrina Canal Breaches Litig., 495 F.3d 191, 205 (5th Cir. 2007) (quoting Martin K. Eby Constr. Co. v. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 369 F.3d 464, 467 (5th Cir. 2004)). 18 Wolcott v. Sebelius, 635 F.3d 757, 763 (5th Cir. 2011). 19 In re Katrina Canal Breaches Litig., 495 F.3d at 205 (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). In Twombly, the United States Supreme Court set forth the basic criteria necessary for a complaint to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. “While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiff’s obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will

not do.”20 A complaint is also insufficient if it merely “tenders ‘naked assertions’ devoid of ‘further factual enhancement.’”21 However, “[a] claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”22 In order to satisfy the plausibility standard, the plaintiff must show “more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.”23 “Furthermore, while the court must accept well-pleaded facts as true, it will not ‘strain to find inferences favorable to the plaintiff.’”24 On a motion to dismiss, courts “are not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation.”25 B. Mootness

Article III restricts this Court’s jurisdiction to cases and controversies. The Court is permitted “to adjudicate only live disputes.”26 If “the parties lack a legally cognizable interest in the outcome,”27 the case is moot. Meaning, “‘[t]here must be a case or controversy through all stages of a case’—not just when a suit comes into existence but

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