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Judge: No New Town in E Baton Rouge, But Demand Isn’t Racial | Louisiana News

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana judge has rejected a plan to create a new town in East Baton Rouge Parish, but says the lines weren’t drawn to exclude black people.

Retired 22nd Judicial District Judge Martin Coady last week rejected plans for the proposed town of St. George, news outlets reported. According to him, the city would not be able to balance its budget and its creation would cost the government of Baton Rouge $48 million.

Voters within the proposed city limits approved the incorporation plan in 2019. However, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and her administration quickly filed a lawsuit to block the move.

Coady’s opinion dismissed claims that city limits were drawn to discriminate against blacks after an early incorporation vote rejected the plan, The Advocate noted.

Organizers said the new map just eliminated areas where voters rejected incorporation.

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“The perception that racism played a role in setting boundaries is a reasonable impression,” Coady wrote. “The perception may exist, but the Founders provided a racially neutral reason why certain areas were excluded and not deliberately drawn in a racially discriminatory manner.”

Organizers plan to appeal Coady’s decision against drafting.

“The citizens of St. George are disappointed that our right to vote has been invalidated,” spokesman Andrew Murrell said.

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