League of Women Voters of South Carolina v. Alexander

South Carolina’s congressional map is a “political gerrymander.” Those were the words of Justice Samuel Alito, who ruled in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, that plaintiffs in that case fell short of establishing that it was race, not partisan discrimination, that drove the map’s line drawing.

This case asks the South Carolina Supreme Court to apply that state’s own constitution to conclude that the 2022 congressional map is not just a partisan gerrymander, but unlawful as well. That state's constitution protects against intentional distortion of democracy by guaranteeing “free and open” elections and an “equal right to elect officers” for all qualified South Carolinians. Other states (like Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico), have ruled that partisan gerrymandering violates voters’ rights under similar provisions. Representing the League of Women Voters of South Carolina -- a nonpartisan organization -- we have urged the South Carolina Supreme Court to take up the case under its original jurisdiction and do the same.