Eric Holder Statement: Federal District Court Strikes Down Alabama’s Gerrymandered Congressional Map
For Immediate Release
January 24, 2022
Eric Holder Statement: Federal District Court Strikes Down Alabama’s Gerrymandered Congressional Map
Washington, D.C. — This evening, a federal district court in the Northern District of Alabama enjoined the state from using the new congressional map, after determining that plaintiffs, supported by the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) in the case Caster v. Merrill, were likely to succeed in proving that the map dilutes the voting power of the state’s black communities in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The court ordered the legislature to pass a new plan within 14 days that includes an additional district in which Black voters have the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. In response to this ruling, Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, released the following statement:
“This decision is a win for Alabama’s black voters, who have been denied equal representation for far too long. The map’s dilution of the voting power of Alabama’s black community – through the creation of just one majority-black district while splitting other black voters apart – was as evident as it was reprehensible. The court’s decision reminds us that the moral arc of the universe does indeed bend toward justice – but only when enough people join together and pull it toward justice.”
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Contact: Jena Doyle | doyle@redistrictingfoundation.org