SPLC Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision Affirming the Right to Fair Representation for Black Communities

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Allen v. Milligan that Alabama’s congressional map denies Black voters a fair number of congressional seats. In July 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center, League of Women Voters, and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in the case. 

Alabama now must draw a new map with two majority-Black congressional districts. The decision affirms the right of communities of color to fair representation in government as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.  

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is an important victory in the fight to protect voting rights and defend our democracy,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC Action Fund. “Black voters in Alabama — and across the country — deserve equal representation in government, which helps ensure communities receive critical resources and funding for schools, safe infrastructure, and access to affordable and necessary health care.”  

“The SPLC and our allies remain committed to challenging barriers to voting wherever they are created and ensuring everyone has full access to the ballot. We will not back down in our fight for fundamental rights.”  

“While today’s ruling reaffirms the right to fair representation for Black communities, we still have much work to do to enshrine voting rights once and for all. Each of us has a role to play in protecting and exercising the fundamental right to vote at every opportunity. And Congress must do its part by crafting, introducing, and passing an updated Voting Rights Act that protects and preserves this sacred right. Our future and our democracy depend on it.”