FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 2, 2021
Raleigh, N.C. (Feb. 2, 2022) — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice provided oral arguments before the N.C. Supreme Court today in the state’s consolidated redistricting case, Harper et. al v. Hall et al. During the 45 minutes allotted, appellants challenged the enacted state House, state Senate, and Congressional maps as extreme partisan gerrymanders in violation of the North Carolina Constitution.
Speaking on behalf of plaintiff Common Cause, Southern Coalition for Social Justice Co-Executive Director and Chief Counsel for Voting Rights Allison Riggs alleged lawmakers’ maps were enacted with discriminatory racial intent in a redistricting process that violated North Carolina Constitutional requirements, as interpreted by the Court in the 2002 and 2003 Stephenson v. Bartlett decisions.
“The legislative majority acted to entrench itself, firewalled from losing power even if voter preferences dramatically changed, and [they] accomplished this in part by targeting Black [crossover] districts in Eastern North Carolina,” Riggs said during oral arguments.
“What this court needs to do…is vindicate that Black voters [cannot] be targeted in order to advance a partisan gerrymander. And to be clear, this legislature could not have as extreme a partisan gerrymander had Black districts in Eastern North Carolina not been attacked.”
For more information on plaintiff Common Cause NC’s legal arguments, find our appellant and response briefs here.
North Carolina’s primary election is scheduled for May 17, with the candidate filing period expected in late February. Stay connected to the Southern Coalition for Social Justice for the latest on the N.C. Supreme Court’s ruling by joining our mailing list at scsj.org/newsletter.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sailor Jones, sailor@scsj.org, 919-260-5906; SCSJ
Gino Nuzzolillo, gino@scsj.org, 402-415-4763; SCSJ
Melissa Boughton, melissa@scsj.org, 830-481-6901, SCSJ
Bryan Warner, BWarner@commoncause.org, 919-599-7541; Common Cause NC
Ritchenya A. Dodd, ritchenya.dodd@hoganlovells.com, 212-918-6155; Hogan Lovells
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The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
Global law firm Hogan Lovells has a long tradition of supporting ground-breaking social developments, focusing on access to justice and the rule of law. As lawyers we recognize this commitment is part of our professional practice and collectively we spend 150,000+ pro bono hours per year on work to achieve lasting impact for others.