Press Release

Thursday, June 8, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the United States Supreme Court reaffirmed a lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s 2021 congressional map likely violated the federal Voting Right Act by packing Black voters into one district and dividing others across the other six districts, thus diluting their political power. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) released the following statement in response.

“We cannot overstate what a monumental decision this is for the Supreme Court to reaffirm the Voting Rights Act. Amidst ongoing attack after attack on voting rights, especially for Black communities and other communities of color that continue to be disenfranchised at every level of electoral process, including redistricting, this ruling is a reminder that the Voting Rights Act civil rights leaders fought for over fifty years ago is still necessary to protect us today. While we celebrate this win, we must remember that in this ruling, the court was following decades of precedent. This is an important reminder that we are in a political environment where even long-standing laws that protect our rights are under attack. We urge Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to preserve our democracy and restore necessary protections against discrimination targeting voters of color,” said Jerry Vattamala, Director of AALDEF’s Democracy Program.

Click here to read our amicus brief on the case.

For additional information, contact:

Stuart J. Sia
Communications Director
212.966.5932 x203
ssia@aaldef.org