Supreme Court Decision in Alexander v. South Carolina NAACP is a Devastating Blow to Black Voters

Today, in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the Supreme Court overturned a unanimous federal trial court finding of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. It also rejected the ruling that lawmakers diluted the votes of Black South Carolinians in the redistricting process, sending the Plaintiffs’ vote dilution claim back to the trial court for further consideration. 

In response, Phi Nguyen, Director of Democracy at Dēmos, released the following statement:  

By going out of its way to find in favor of the defendants, the Court has created higher hurdles for plaintiffs, leaving even less room for Black and brown voters to prevail in racial gerrymandering cases. 

“This decision is a devastating blow to Black voters in South Carolina and across the country. The Supreme Court has blatantly ignored its obligation to give deference to the trial court, which carefully considered thousands of pages of evidence and the testimony of dozens of witnesses.  

“Instead, the Court inexplicably bent over backward to presume the good faith of South Carolina lawmakers, despite overwhelming evidence that they racially discriminated against Black voters. By going out of its way to find in favor of the defendants, the Court has created higher hurdles for plaintiffs, leaving even less room for Black and brown voters to prevail in racial gerrymandering cases. 

“The Court's decision further underscores the urgent need for Congress to protect voters by restoring the Voting Rights Act through the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Ensuring full participation in our democracy requires fair and equal representation for Black and brown communities. Dēmos remains committed to fighting for a democracy where systems are designed to encourage and cultivate the fullest expression of political voice by all.” 

To read Dēmos and allies’ amicus brief in this case, click here. 

###