Louisiana's governor wields racial gerrymandering like a political star trek phaser, critics say

With a flourish reminiscent of a Starfleet commander engaging warp speed, Louisiana's conservative Governor Jeff Landry has unleashed a political maneuver critics liken to a racialized version of the Red Hour from Star Trek's 'Return of the Archons.'

Gerrymandering the day of jubilee

Last week, Landry declared a state of emergency and canceled congressional primaries, prompting a fight over eliminating one or both of the state's majority-minority congressional districts.

Black political power is under siege, with activists lamenting a historic repeat of the post-Civil War era when Reconstruction's brief flowering was snuffed out.

Calvin Duncan, who spent decades in prison for a murder he didn't commit, only to win the election as clerk of the criminal court in New Orleans, now faces uncertainty after the state legislature eliminated his job.

Civil rights veteran Press Robinson, 88, feels like a lifetime of work is unraveling after the Supreme Court's ruling on redistricting.

'History is now repeating itself,' Robinson said. 'Discrimination is not gone, and people like me need a path to county boards, statehouses and Congress to shape policy for all of America.'