A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Friday that the new districts for the Alabama House and Senate do not violate federal law.
In 2011, the Alabama legislature approved the new district lines to keep up with population shifts seen in the 2010 census.
After the U.S. Department of Justice approved the new districts, the Legislative Black Caucus filed a suit under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution claiming the new districts are racially discriminatory.
In August, Attorney General Luther Strange’s office provided evidence and legal arguments to a panel of three federal judges. The court concluded in a 2-to-1 vote on Friday that the new districts did not discriminate and did not violate the Voting Rights Act nor the United States Constitution.
The new districts will be used in the 2014 legislative races.
“I am committed to protecting every citizen’s right to vote for equal representation in state government,” Strange said in response to the ruling. “ I have believed from the beginning of this process that Alabama complied with all legal and constitutional requirements in adopting the new district lines, and I am pleased that the court agreed with our position that the new legislative districts are consistent with federal law.”
“This was a complex case that required skilled and talented legal counsel, and it has been a top priority for my office,” he continued. “I am proud of the evidence we presented and grateful for the attorneys who helped achieve this successful result.”
Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he’s hopeful the court’s ruling will put to rest any remaining concerns over the new districts.
“This judgement reaffirms that our approach to redistricting was in line with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, something that the department of justice also affirmed,” Marsh told Yellowhammer. “It is our hope that there will be no further delays so that voters may be informed of any district change in advance of the June primary.”
“We made it clear from the outset of the redistricting process that we were committed to seeking public input from across the state and utilizing the federal census data in a manner that resulted in fairly drawn legislative districts that fully complied with the law,” House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, added. “Not only was our plan cleared by President Obama’s Justice Department, it also has more majority-minority districts than the reapportionment plan that the Democrats drafted a decade ago. Today’s decision simply affirms our efforts followed the letter of the law, as we knew all along.”
(3:45 p.m. — this story was updated to include a comment from Sen. Del Marsh.
4:44 p.m. — this story was updated to include a comment from House Speaker Mike Hubbard)
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