Group applauds Supreme Court decision to uphold a lower court’s decision to strike down an Alabama congressional map because it diluted the Black vote
ATLANTA — Fair Fight Action today released a statement in response to the historic Supreme Court ruling in Allen v. Milligan that upholds and keeps intact a key provision of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The provision outlaws voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race.
The Supreme Court ruled, in a 5 to 4 decision, that Alabama’s congressional map packed Black voters into a single congressional district in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling comes at a time when anti-democratic actors are moving aggressively to undermine democracy and key voting rights protections for communities of color. This is a critical win for Black voters in Alabama and across the country where cases challenging racial gerrymandering are ongoing.
Fair Fight Action Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid released the following statement:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a win in the ongoing fight to protect our democracy and affirm the freedom to vote. This ruling confirms what we already know to be true: communities of color deserve to exercise their right to vote free from racial discrimination. Congress must act to codify additional protections for voters across the country and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
More action is needed. Ten years ago, the Supreme Court voted down preclearance in Shelby v. Holder, a vital provision in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act that would have prevented voters in Alabama from voting under gerrymandered maps in last year’s midterm election. Today, we celebrate this as a win for voters of color and tomorrow, we will continue the fight to ensure that voters everywhere are protected and have free and fair access to the ballot box.”
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