Evan Milligan, the case’s lead plaintiff, speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court.Photo:AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
The conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court has unexpectedly ruled that Alabama’s seven-district congressional map appears to discriminate against Black voters.
Thursday’s surprise 5-4 ruling saw two conservative judges — Chief JusticeJohn Robertsand JusticeBrett Kavanaugh— side with all three liberal justices in a decision that could have easily fallen on partisan lines, as it may determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024.
In Alabama, more than one in four residents are Black — about 27% — yet the state’s current congressional map includes only one majority Black district out of seven total.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty
JusticeClarence Thomas, one of the four conservative judges who opposed the decision, cited the Constitution as reason not to redraw the lines. “Section 2 [of the Voting Rights Act] demands no such thing, and, if it did, the Constitution would not permit it,” he wrote.
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U.S. Attorney GeneralMerrick Garlandcommended the court’s decision on Thursday, saying it “rejects efforts to further erode fundamental voting rights protections.”
“It preserves the principle that in the United States, all eligible voters must be able to exercise their constitutional right to vote free from discrimination based on their race,” he added.
PresidentJoe Bidenreleased a statement that said, in part, “The right to vote and have that vote counted is sacred and fundamental — it is the right from which all of our other rights spring. Key to that right is ensuring that voters pick their elected officials — not the other way around.”
Evan Milligan, the lead plaintiff in the case, celebrated the ruling as a victory for people of color across the nation.
“We are grateful that the Supreme Court upheld what we knew to be true: that everyone deserves to have their vote matter and their voice heard,” he said. “Today is a win for democracy and freedom not just in Alabama, but across the United States.”
source: people.com
