Global Courant 2023-05-26 16:27:00
A three-judge panel on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against the 2021 U.S. House map of Arkansas, ruling that opponents of the new congressional boundaries had failed to prove that race motivated the Republican-led legislature’s redistricting plan.
The lawsuit brought by the federal panel alleged that the redrawn map violated the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act by displacing thousands of predominantly black voters from the 2nd District of central Arkansas, including Little Rock. Those voters were split between the state’s 1st and 4th congressional districts.
“The allegations do not lead to a plausible conclusion that race was the ‘predominant factor’ behind the approval of Arkansas’s new congressional map,” the judges’ ruling said on Thursday.
LATCH LAW CLAIM ARKANSAS’ 2021 US HOUSE CARD IS UNFOUNDED, REDUCES THE INFLUENCE OF BLACK VOTERS
Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin praised the court’s decision.
“Today, a panel of three federal judges rejected a challenge to Arkansas’s congressional districts, confirming what we already knew: Our congressional districts do not violate the U.S. Constitution and are legal,” Griffin said in a statement.
A lawsuit against the 2021 U.S. House card of Arkansas was dismissed after the opposition failed to prove that the redistricting was motivated by race.
Opponents of the map have argued that the state legislature diluted black voter influence by splitting up the 2nd district. Republicans hold all four seats in the state’s U.S. House, and Democrats have unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the 2nd district in recent years.
PILOT DIED IN PLANE CRASH IN ARKANSAS
The ruling is the second in recent weeks to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Arkansas congressional redistricting. A Pulaski County judge earlier this month dismissed another lawsuit over the new home boundaries, ruling that the complaint should have been filed with the state Supreme Court.
A similar lawsuit over the House card was filed in federal court earlier this week.
The three-judge panel had dismissed part of the October lawsuit in Thursday’s ruling, but allowed plaintiffs in the case to file an amended challenge. Residents challenging the redistricting plan include two black state legislators.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
Richard Mays, an attorney for the residents, said he was disappointed with the ruling and was considering appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. Mays said he disagreed with the standard the court used to dismiss the complaint.
“If that is the norm, it will negate virtually any realistic attempt to override these redistributive acts unless the people who are enacting the legislation admit in writing that they intend to racially discriminate against people,” Mays said.
