Eric Holder Statement on Allen v. Milligan Supreme Court Victory
Contact
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingfoundation.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Allen v. Milligan, upheld a lower court decision striking down Alabama’s discriminatory congressional map as a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) due to the state’s failure to provide Black Alabamians an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Allen v. Milligan is a redistricting lawsuit originally filed by Alabama voters with the support of the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), after the state legislature enacted a discriminatory congressional map. The NRF continued to support the respondents in this lawsuit as it went before the Supreme Court of the United States.
“This is a victory for all Americans, and it is an important step toward equal voting power and representation for voters of color across the country,” said Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States. “It is also a testament to the tenacity of the voters of Alabama, who knew their rights were violated as a result of a map drawn in an unconstitutional and discriminatory manner, and took this fight as far as they could to not only ensure their rights, but the rights of Americans across the country.
“As a result of today’s decision, our case moves forward, returning to the trial court for implementation of a fairer congressional map that all Alabamians want and deserve. The lower court ordered a second Black opportunity district be drawn in Alabama precisely because Black Alabamians have been too long denied the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice in all but one of the seven congressional districts,” Holder continued.
“All of the protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are still needed today. Although we have made significant progress since the Civil Rights Movement, we still live in a nation where the safeguards found in the Voting Rights Act for minority communities remain necessary and must remain robust,” Holder concluded.
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