Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc v. Raffensperger
What's at Stake
The ACLU and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Georgia's newly drawn maps which deny Black residents an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of choice.
Summary
On December 30, 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, and WilmerHale filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Sixth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and several individual Georgia voters challenging newly drawn state House and Senate district lines as unlawfully minimizing the voting strength of Black Georgians. The lawsuit charges that the newly drawn maps deny Black residents an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of choice, in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The court held an eight-day trial in September 2023. In October 2023, the district court ruled that the maps unlawfully diluted the voting strength of Black Georgians in multiple parts of the state and enjoined the state from using the enacted maps in future elections.
In response, the state appealed the ruling to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Pending that appeal, the Georgia General Assembly drew new maps that did not fix all of the injuries to Black voters that Plaintiffs proved in court. The court overruled our objections to those maps, which found that Georgia’s remedial map addressed Plaintiffs’ injuries. We are currently appealing that decision.
Legal Documents
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04/08/2024
Plaintiffs-Appellees' Brief -
04/08/2024
Brief of the United States as Intervenor
Date Filed: 04/08/2024
Court: Appeals Court (11th Cir.)
Date Filed: 04/08/2024
Court: Appeals Court (11th Cir.)
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12/28/2023
Order Accepting Georgia's Remedial Maps -
12/12/2023
Plaintiffs' Objections to Remedial Map -
10/26/2023
Order Permanently Enjoining Enacted Maps -
09/25/2023
Plaintiffs' Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law -
09/25/2023
Defendants' Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law -
02/28/2022
Order Denying Preliminary Injunction -
12/30/2021
Complaint
Date Filed: 12/28/2023
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 12/12/2023
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 10/26/2023
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 09/25/2023
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 09/25/2023
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 02/28/2022
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Date Filed: 12/30/2021
Court: District Court (N.D. Ga.)
Press Releases
Plaintiffs in Georgia Redistricting Lawsuit Offer Remedial State Legislative Maps
Federal Court Orders Georgia to Redraw State Legislative District MapsÂ
ACLU Comment on Georgia Redistricting Ruling
Groups File Federal Lawsuit Over Georgia’s New Gerrymandered District Maps