Louisiana's political mess just got messier

The big picture: U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, Mayor Helena Moreno and others urged a standing-room-only crowd Monday night at Dillard University to make their voices heard as lawmakers redraw Louisiana's congressional lines.

• The new map would likely remove at least one of the state's two majority Black districts.
• The state Senate committee is expected to vote Tuesday, a day earlier than originally scheduled, state Sen. Sidney Barthelemy II told the crowd. It will likely go to the full Senate on Thursday.
• At that pace, lawmakers could approve a new map in early June, said Jared Evans with the Power Coalition and NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

What they're saying: It's a "colossal mess," ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms told Axios at the event.

• In the lobby, residents signed the petition to recall Landry.
• Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, on social media, is urging attendees at Essence to sign the petition.

Zoom in: The Dillard event came hours after New Orleans City Council members voted 5-2 to appoint retired Judge Calvin Johnson as the interim clerk of court until a special election is held in November.

• He replaces Chelsey Richard Napoleon, who state Attorney General Liz Murrill says became the Orleans Parish clerk of court after lawmakers eliminated the criminal court clerk position, which was held by Calvin Duncan.
• The appointment takes effect immediately, unless there is a legal injunction, which Murrill is expected to request.
• The council claimed authority under a Louisiana law requiring it to appoint an interim officeholder within 20 days of a vacancy.

Behind the scenes: Moreno and district attorney Jason Williams urged the council to appoint an interim clerk while the courts decide the lawsuits, according to letters shared with Axios.

• Williams argued that the uncertainty creates "substantial and immediate legal risk." He added that criminal convictions could be jeopardized without the council's action.
• Added Moreno: "This is not about politics or personalities. It is about ensuring that the public maintains confidence in our democratic institutions."
• Williams' analysis is "plainly wrong," Murrill said in a letter also shared with Axios. "The chaos he describes does not exist, yet he invites it into existence."

Zoom out: Matthew Willard, council vice president, said a special election was needed while the legal challenges make their way through the court system.

• If they miss the window, Landry may be the one to appoint the interim clerk, council President JP Morrell said.
• Willard, Morrell, Jason Hughes, Freddie King III and Aimee McCarron voted for the special election.
• Lesli Harris and Eugene Green voted against, with Harris saying this capitulates to the state and she thinks Napoleon and Duncan should both keep their elected positions.

Between the lines: New Orleans is a Democratic stronghold in the South.

• Meanwhile, Louisiana has been a reliable Republican stronghold for three decades. Landry is a longtime Trump ally.

Inside the room: The thread of the City Council meeting — from council members, residents and advocates on both sides — was trust. Trust in each vote counting. Trust in the court system. Trust in the legitimacy of the process.

• Both sides cited state and city law to justify their positions.

State of play: This is the latest Louisiana political fight to end up in court. Other lawsuits moving through the legal system challenge...

• Landry's decision to suspend House elections.
• The state's new law that eliminated Duncan's position.
• Congressional redistricting across the country after the U.S. Supreme Court's Callais ruling.

The bottom line: Much remains up in the air until the courts rule.