In yet another decision weakening fair representation for the electorate, the Supreme Court in Alexander v. SC NAACP ruled that South Carolina’s legislature did not violate the constitution with its congressional redistricting plan. Writing for the majority, Justice Alito said that the petitioners failed to show that the congressional districts were redrawn based on race. Justice Alito acknowledged that the maps were likely drawn for partisan reasons and added that this is not unconstitutional. The case stems from a racially gerrymandered congressional map that the South Carolina legislature adopted in 2022. This map denied Black voters from meaningful political representation by moving over 60% of Black voters out of South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District , thereby making a safe district for a Republican candidate.
APIAVote’s Executive Director Christine Chen stated:
“The 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and the 15th Amendment’s guarantee that Americans’ right to vote won’t be “denied or abridged” on account of race, yet the majority of Supreme Court Justices sided with South Carolina, supporting a map that diminishes the Black vote. Notably, the decision also defies decades of precedent that permits plaintiffs to use various types of evidence to prove racial discrimination in voting. This imperials all minority voters including Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. This ruling underscores the fact that we must redouble our efforts to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act in order to protect the right to vote for all of us.”
