Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP

Justia · Docket · oyez.org

Argued on Oct 11, 2023.

Appellant: Thomas C. Alexander, in His Official Capacity as President of the South Carolina Senate, et al..
Appellee: The South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, et al..

Advocates:

John M. Gore (for the Appellants)
Leah C. Aden (for the Appellees)
Caroline A. Flynn (for the United States, as amicus curiae, supporting neither party)

Facts of the case (from oyez.org)

After the 2020 Census, South Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature adopted a new congressional map that moved tens of thousands of Black voters to a different district, effectively making the district a safe seat for Republicans.

The South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP sued, and a three-judge panel concluded that the district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The legislators appealed directly to the Supreme Court, arguing that the map was actually a political gerrymander (which is permissible) that merely had a racial effect.

Question

Does the South Carolina legislature’s redistricting map, which has the effect of moving tens of thousands of Black voters to a different district, constitute an impermissible racial gerrymander, even if the legislators’ purported intent was merely a political gerrymander?

[22-807] Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP

Supreme Court Oral Arguments

[22-807] Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP