Staff Reports
The Supreme Court said that the congressional map in South Carolina is lawful and doesn’t break the rights of Black voters. The ruling was 6-3 and supported a map that was challenged by voter Taiwan Scott and the South Carolina NAACP, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and allied groups. The Republican state lawmakers had asked the high court to review a ruling from a three-judge district court panel that ordered South Carolina to redraw its 2022 map for congressional districts. The high court justices mentioned that as long as race isn’t the main factor when drawing district lines, partisan gerrymanders don’t break the Constitution.
Supreme Court upholds South Carolina election map over Black voter challenge https://t.co/TekPKd5Dkl
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 23, 2024
The federal court had ruled after a nine-day trial that South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District had been drawn in a way to lessen Black votes. The high court disagreed with this ruling and stated it lacked evidence, emphasizing that partisan gerrymanders don’t violate the Constitution as long as race isn’t the main factor when drawing district lines. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said that none of the facts used by the district court to infer a racial motive are sufficient to support an inference that can overcome the presumption of legislative good faith. The three Democratic appointees disagreed with the decision, arguing that since the district court’s analysis was thorough and the three-judge panel unanimously found that race was a motive in redrawing District 1, the lines should be redrawn.
The dissenting justices mentioned that the response to this case shouldn’t enable South Carolina to continue dividing citizens along racial lines. They stated that it is important to respect the findings of the District Court and not to target African American citizens when redrawing District 1. Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, represents the 1st Congressional District. This decision will be influential in the 2024 elections, with more than 30,000 Black Democrats having their votes shifted to the 6th Congressional District, represented by Jim Clyburn, when the map was drawn.
