Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a victory to voters in deciding Wittman v. Personhuballah, a case about whether Virginia’s redistricting map illegally packed black voters into certain congressional districts. The commonwealth of Virginia declined to appeal a lower court decision striking down the map, but members of the congressional delegation did, claiming that they could because the new maps would not be favorable to them electorally. Today, the Supreme Court held that those members of Congress did not have standing to appeal the lower court’s decision, and the Court dismissed the case. Michele L. Jawando, Vice President of Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Wittman v. Personhuballah is a critical case for voting and representational rights, and today’s victory at the Supreme Court helps ensure more than 1 million people are fairly represented in Virginia. This is good news not only for Virginia voters and voting advocates, but also for other states currently dealing with constitutional issues around their congressional district maps. A just and fair democracy necessitates that all voters can access the ballot without worrying about political games and racial discrimination.
For more information or to speak to an expert on this topic, please contact Tanya S. Arditi at [email protected] or 202.741.6258.
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