The Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People that accused South Carolina of “racial gerrymandering” across its new Congressional map.
In a 6-3 decision split along conservative-liberal lines, the Court ruled that the challengers had not proven the state legislature’s actions were racially motivated when it relocated thousands of Black voters from the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that there was “no direct evidence” that race was an issue when the lines were drawn.
“No direct evidence supports the District Court’s finding that race predominated in the design of District 1,” Alito wrote. “The circumstantial evidence falls far short of showing that race, not partisan preferences, drove the districting process.”