Here’s what you need to know.
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Daily Docket — Wednesday, Oct. 11
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral argument in Alexander v. South Carolina NAACP ([link removed]) , a case which will determine whether South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District needs to be redrawn due to alleged racial gerrymandering.
In defending the map, South Carolina’s central argument was that the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature relied on partisanship — not race — when redrawing the state’s congressional map after the 2020 census. The South Carolina NAACP, meanwhile, pointed to expert testimony to allege the Legislature was using “race as a proxy to predict partisan behavior” when it moved over 193,000 people in and out of the 1st Congressional District.
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In South Carolina, Making Redistricting Work for All ([link removed])
By Brenda Murphy
Here are some resources about the case and today's oral argument.
* The lawsuit, which was brought by the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Taiwan Scott — a Black voter in the 1st Congressional District who has said ([link removed]) his community lacks a voice — originally challenged the state’s past congressional and legislative maps for being malapportioned. Catch up on previous developments in the case here ([link removed]) .
+ Curious what needed to happen for the case to get to the Supreme Court? Read our Explainer ([link removed]) detailing what it takes for the nation’s highest court to hear election and redistricting cases.
* Fourteen amicus briefs — or “friend of the court” briefs in which individuals or organizations that are not parties in a case, but have an interest in the case's outcome — were submitted ahead of today’s oral argument. The briefs are a powerful way for outside groups and individuals to speak directly to the justices on the Court.
+ The briefs came from historians, politicians, the U.S. Department of Justice and others. Read more about the briefs here ([link removed]) .
* In an exclusive op-ed ([link removed]) for Democracy Docket, Brenda Murphy, president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP — one of the plaintiffs in the case — wrote about the burden the 1st Congressional District has on the Black population of Charleston County and the need for a fair congressional map in South Carolina.
* Democracy Docket covered today’s oral argument live on Twitter ([link removed]) and Threads ([link removed]) with a play-by-play of all of the notable highlights. For a more in-depth breakdown of oral argument, read senior case coordinator Rachel Selzer’s key takeaways here ([link removed]) .
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Here are some recent updates.
* In a blow to Georgia voters, a federal judge declined ([link removed]) to block provisions of the state’s 2021 voter suppression law — Senate Bill 202 — that dramatically reduced drop boxes, shortened the deadline for voters to request absentee ballots and more. The five provisions remain in place as litigation continues.
* Black voters and civil rights groups urged ([link removed]) the Supreme Court to allow a hearing on the creation of a new congressional map in Louisiana to occur, writing that a delay risks "the fundamental voting rights of...thousands of Black voters in Louisiana."
* Nonprofit groups and voters moved ([link removed]) to defend Michigan's voter-approved election amendments from a legal attack. Eleven Republican state lawmakers filed ([link removed]) a lawsuit to try to nullify the amendments using the discredited independent state legislature theory.
* Unabashed election denier Kari Lake officially announced ([link removed]) her run for U.S. Senate in Arizona. Simultaneously, Lake is still in court trying to overturn her loss in the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election.
* The Republican National Committee, North Carolina Republican Party and other Republicans voluntarily dismissed ([link removed]) their lawsuit seeking to allow more partisan poll observers at voting locations. The case is over.
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Takeaways From Supreme Court Arguments Over South Carolina's Congressional Map ([link removed])
By Rachel Selzer
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