ALABAMA DEMOCRATIC CONFERENCE V. ALABAMA (U.S. SUPREME COURT, 2014)

At issue in this case is Alabama's redistricting plan after the 2010 census. When Alabama redrew its district lines the drafters created supermajorities in majority-minority districts, sometimes creating districts that were more than 75 percent black. The Alabama Democratic Conference and the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus filed lawsuits arguing that, in drawing the district lines the way it did, Alabama unconstitutionally engaged in racial gerrymandering and diluted minorities' political power in other districts. ADL urged the Supreme Court to strike down the redistricting plan as unconstitutional, arguing that because the State subordinated traditional race-neutral redistricting principles to race-based considerations, the Court should analyze the redistricting plan with the highest level of scrutiny. ADL argued that Alabama's plan should be struck down because it was not narrowly tailored to fit the requirements of the Voting Rights Act.