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Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005

For Immediate Release
Contact: Diane Gross
202-662-8600

November 27, 2000

SUPREME COURT ORDERS DISTRICT COURT TO DISMISS CASE CLAIMING LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the United States Supreme Court ordered an Alabama federal district court to dismiss a case claiming that Alabama legislative districts had been drawn for a predominantly racial purpose. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee), who represented African American voters supporting the current districts, applauded this decision as a victory for fair and just representation. Since its inception, the Lawyers' Committee has worked to secure equal rights for all Americans in our democracy. In the case, Sinkfield v. Kelley, an Alabama district court held that three state house districts and four state senate districts were unconstitutionally drawn. The Supreme Court agreed with the State of Alabama and African American voters that the majority white districts were being challenged with the goal of actually attacking neighboring majority minority districts.

"This is a tremendous victory in our ongoing efforts to obtain fair representation for African Americans at every level of government," commented Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee. "We are pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld our clients' position. This decision is a reasonable action by the Supreme Court which, in following its precedent, confirms that voters can only challenge a district in which they live," she added.

The Supreme Court's unanimous three-page decision held that the white plaintiffs could not challenge the shape of the majority-black districts next to their own majority-white districts. The Supreme Court has previously refused such challenges, which have had as their ultimate goal, defeating majority minority districts. Edward Still, Voting Rights Project Director at the Lawyers' Committee in explaining the significance of this ruling, said "the Supreme Court has held that plaintiffs must have a real injury to bring a suit. If the Court had reversed itself of this bedrock principle, any voter any place in the state could have claimed to have been injured by any redistricting."

The Lawyers' Committee's appeal raised several issues regarding the factual findings and legal rulings of the district court. The Supreme Court's decision effectively erases all those findings and rulings and puts the State of Alabama back into the position it was before the this suit was brought. The State is now free to start its 2001 redistricting efforts without any taint on the districting plan which was originally put in place in 1993.

The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national civil rights legal organization formed by leading members of the nation's bar in 1963 at the request of President Kennedy to address racial discrimination. The Lawyers' Committee was joined by co-counsel, James U. Blacksher, Larry T. Menefee, Fred D. Gray, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in representing African American voters in Sinkfield v. Kelley, No. 00-132.

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