ICYMI: Georgia VRA Lawsuits Moving Forward

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Jena Doyle

doyle@redistrictingfoundation.org

ICYMI: Georgia VRA Lawsuits Moving Forward

Trial is set to begin in both cases in September

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, a group of Georgia voters submitted proposed pretrial orders in the cases Pendergrass v. Raffensberger, which is a challenge against Georgia’s congressional map, and Grant v. Raffensberger, which is a challenge against Georgia’s state legislative maps. In both of the Georgia lawsuits, the maps are being challenged for diluting the voting power of Black Georgians in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), initiated these legal challenges in 2021. 

Olivia Mendoza, Director of Litigation and Policy for the NRF, released the following statement: 

“Similar to Alabama’s congressional map, the Georgia congressional and state legislative maps are textbook violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. These maps dilute the voting power of Georgia’s Black voters by cracking and packing these communities to serve the interest of the map drawers. That is wrong and not what we expect from our democracy. Black Georgians deserve fair representation and they deserve to have their rights protected in accordance with the law just like everyone else. We are confident in the strong case the plaintiffs will be presenting to the court in September.” 

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