WASHINGTON, D.C.— In response to Supreme Court oral arguments in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the following statement from Senior Director of Judiciary & Democracy Doug Lindner:

“The racially gerrymandered map drawn by South Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature to suppress the voices of Black residents has already been found unconstitutional by a federal court. In a time of increasing attacks on voting rights for communities of color across the country, we should be able to count on the United States Supreme Court to protect our democracy. But too often over the last decade, the right-wing justices have done the opposite, rolling back protections of the Voting Rights Act and allowing unconscionable gerrymanders and voter suppression policies to remain in place.

“Fair maps are crucial to ensure equitable representation for all and to protect the free and fair democracy we need in order to fight climate change and secure environmental justice. The Supreme Court must make the right decision in this case by affirming the lower court’s ruling that this racist gerrymander is unconstitutional, and Congress must pass laws to protect our democracy, including the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, and the Judiciary Act.”

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