BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus accused Attorney General Liz Murrill of overstepping her authority in the state's ongoing fight over Congressional maps. 

Lawmakers have previously said politics were the key factor in needing new maps, but in August, Murrill reversed course on the state's previous stance, arguing the most recent congressional maps are racially gerrymandered.

Congressman Cleo Fields said that he thinks Murrill doesn't have very many options but to accept the new map with a second majority-minority district. 

“I think she can choose not to fight on behalf of a law or she can not do anything. I don’t think she has the option after the legislature has spoken, the governor has signed it," said Fields.

Murrill sent out a statement, saying: “This pleading is so patently baseless it’s sanctionable. Among other things, the state district court has no jurisdiction over the arguments the state attorney general makes in the United States Supreme Court on matters of federal law and the federal constitution.”

Congressman Fields said that race is not a prominent factor in response to the maps' creation.

“If race was the only reason for the creation of the district, that would be one thing, but race was not the predominant factor in the creation of this district. Even Stevie Wonder could see politics played a primary role in the creation of the district,” he said.

The new congressional map created a second majority minority district. Congressman Fields said the Voting Rights Act was preventing barriers placed among African Americans, and this map helps better represent the state’s population.

“How many Blacks have Louisiana elected to Congress from a majority white district? The answer to that is zero," he said. "Without the Voting Rights Act, people of color don’t have an opportunity to participate in the process.”