The Louisiana Democratic Party on Friday (May 8) accused Republican State Sen. Jay Morris of directing a racist remark at Executive Director Dadrius Lanus during a heated State Capitol public hearing on congressional redistricting.
Morris denied the allegation.
The party said Morris told Lanus, who is Black, to “Shut up boy!” during a Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee public hearing tied to Louisiana’s congressional maps. In an emailed statement afterward, the party called the phrase “racially charged” and said it plans to seek disciplinary action against Morris from Senate leadership.
Morris said he did not use “any profanity or any derogatory or pejorative term” and instead told audience members, “you all need to shut up.”
The confrontation came during an emotionally charged hearing over Louisiana’s congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state’s current map is racially gerrymandered. Lawmakers are debating proposals that could reshape or eliminate Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district.
Tensions escalated throughout the meeting as protesters interrupted proceedings with chants opposing changes to the district. At one point, demonstrators crowded entrances near the hearing room, briefly preventing some reporters from leaving.
State Sen. Gary Carter Jr., a Democrat from New Orleans, also pressed committee members about whether ballots had already been counted before Gov. Jeff Landry suspended the state’s U.S. House primary elections on April 30. Committee officials declined to answer.
Carter later accused Morris’ proposed maps of discriminating against Black voters.
“He suggests that he’s not racist. I suggest we take a look at his work,” Carter said before officials attempted to cut off his microphone. Then, the Senate and Governmental Affairs’ live stream stopped.
The redistricting dispute is expected to continue both in court and at the Capitol in the coming weeks
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