ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Ruling in Arizona Redistricting Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2015

CONTACT: Inga Sarda-Sorensen, 212-284-7347, media@aclu.org

WASHINGTON – In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the Constitution permits the people of Arizona to use the initiative process to establish an independent commission in charge of congressional redistricting. The court also found that the "core principle of republican government" is "that the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around."

The ACLU filed an amicus brief in this case, Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, said:

"This ruling affirms that voters have the flexibility to adopt a common-sense reform to address the problem of partisan gerrymandering by using an independent nonpartisan commission to draw congressional districts. In essence, it says voters can keep the fox from guarding the henhouse."

The ruling is at: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/arizona-state-legislature-v-arizona-independent-redistricting-commission-et-al

More information is at: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/arizona-state-legislature-v-arizona-independent-redistricting-commission-et-al-amicus