ACLU Comment on Georgia Redistricting Ruling
Court Rules Georgia Redistricting Maps Likely Violate Voting Rights Act, But Allows Them To Remain in Effect For Next Election Cycle As Lawsuit Proceeds
ATLANTA — A federal court has ruled that Georgia’s newly drawn state House and Senate district lines likely violate the Voting Rights Act, but has allowed those plans to take effect while the lawsuit proceeds.
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, and international law firm WilmerHale are challenging the new maps on behalf of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Sixth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and several Georgia voters.
The lawsuit charges the new maps deny Black Georgians an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of their choice.
In recent decades, Black citizens drove Georgia’s significant population growth, yet state lawmakers failed to draw district lines that reflect this reality. While the Black population in the state exploded, Black-majority districts have flatlined.
The Georgia General Assembly should have drawn at least a half-dozen additional new Black-majority districts in light of the tremendous growth of the state’s Black population over the last decade. Lawmakers could have drawn such districts in the southern and eastern parts of the Atlanta metro region, and in the area around Augusta, but failed to do so.
The groups challenged the maps in December 2021, and a preliminary injunction hearing was recently argued in federal court in Atlanta.
In a detailed 238-page ruling, the court agreed that the groups had demonstrated the new maps likely violate the Voting Rights Act. Nevertheless, it allowed the plan to take effect this year as the case is litigated, and has not provided a final ruling on the legality of the map under the Voting Rights Act.
The ruling means that the maps drawn by the General Assembly will be in effect for the upcoming 2022 elections. A trial is scheduled to be held in 2023.
The following reactions are from:
Sean J. Young, Legal Director, ACLU of Georgia: “We are encouraged that the court agreed that the maps passed by the state likely violate the Voting Rights Act, and we look forward to proving this at trial. Georgia voters deserve fair elections, and we will never stop fighting to protect the sacred and fundamental right to vote.”
Sophia Lin Lakin, Deputy Director, ACLU’s Voting Rights Project: “Our legal challenge is ongoing. We demonstrated that the General Assembly’s maps likely violate the Voting Rights Act and will prove it at trial. State legislatures are responsible for laws and policies that profoundly impact our daily lives. We will continue to fight these maps that deny Black voters an opportunity to elect representatives who will fight for them in these critical statehouse deliberations. Voters should choose their politicians — not the other way around.”
Bishop Reginald Jackson, Sixth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church: “Throughout our history, the Sixth District of the AME Church has always fought to make voting more accessible for all voters. The AME Church will continue to make sure that all eligible voters in Georgia are able to cast their ballot, regardless of their race, creed, or political party.”
The case is Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. v. Raffensperger.
Ruling: /legal-document/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-v-raffensperger-order-denying-pi
Case details: /cases/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-v-raffensperger
The ACLU has been watching key states across the country to ensure new electoral maps are fairly drawn, upholding the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection and complying with the requirements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ACLU has filed redistricting litigation in Ohio,South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas.
Voting Rights
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc v. Raffensperger
Voting Rights
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc v. Raffensperger
Learn More About the Issues in This Press Release
-
News & CommentaryDec 2024
Voting Rights
Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?Election Day is Over. Why is the Electoral College Voting Now?
The Electoral College meets December 17th to certify the results of the 2024 election, but why? The ACLU breaks down if the process is worth keeping. -
New York Supreme CourtDec 2024
Voting Rights
New York Communities for Change v. Nassau CountyNew York Communities for Change v. Nassau County
This case in New York state court centers on the landmark John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA) and the New York Municipal Home Rule Law (MHRL). The NYVRA, like several other state voting rights acts enacted in recent years, expands upon the federal Voting Rights Act’s protections against racial vote dilution. The MHRL prohibits racial discrimination and partisan gerrymandering in local-level redistricting. The ACLU’s Voting Rights Project and State Supreme Court Initiative, alongside the New York Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Steptoe LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of voters of color in Nassau County, New York alleging that a redistricting plan implemented in 2023 for Nassau County’s legislative districts dilutes the voting strength of Black, Latino, and Asian residents and is gerrymandered for partisan advantage in violation of the NYVRA and the MHRL. -
ArizonaNov 2024
Voting Rights
American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. RicherAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Arizona v. Richer
We sued elections officials in Arizona to extend the mail ballot “cure” deadline after ballot processing delays threatened to disenfranchise thousands of voters without notice. -
Press ReleaseNov 2024
Voting Rights
Civil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights ActCivil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights Act
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — On November 7, a New York State Supreme Court trial judge issued an opinion striking down the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA). Today, the Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York American Civil Liberties Union, and Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law issued the following statement in response to the ruling: “The NYVRA is unquestionably constitutional, and protects the freedom to vote for all New Yorkers by helping to ensure voters are not subjected to discrimination when participating in the political process. “The Nov. 7 decision by a state trial judge is deeply flawed and plainly incorrect. We fully expect the decision to be reversed on appeal. It flies in the face of basic legal principles and constitutes a stunning overreach in striking down the entire law, including provisions that are not at issue in the case. “To put it simply, the NYVRA does not discriminate, it bans discrimination – and in doing so protects New Yorkers’ most fundamental right. “New York is stronger when everyone has an equal opportunity to vote.”