Plaintiffs argued that the "prison gerrymandering" improperly considered ACI prisoners as constituents of local elected officials when they are instead "residents of their pre-incarceration communities for virtually all legal purposes, including voting."
"I'm thrilled that our fight for equal representation has been successful," said lead plaintiff Karen Davidson, of Cranston. "Fairness in redistricting is a fundamental right and I'm glad that the court has vindicated our claims."
Plaintiffs' counsel Adam Lioz, of Demos, said, "... Prison gerrymandering distorts representation, and should no longer be tolerated. This decision should pave the way for other courts to address this long-standing problem."