Was Live Friday, Jun 16, 2023 | 11 am PT
Guest Speakers:
- Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- Evan Milligan, lead plaintiff in the case Allen v Milligan and Executive Director of Alabama Forward
- Jacqueline De Leon, staff attorney at Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
- Stuart Naifeh, Manager of the Redistricting Project at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
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Event Overview
On June 8, the United States Supreme Court surprised many observers when Conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh joined Justice John Roberts and the progressive wing of the court in ruling 5-4 that the Alabama Congressional map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, by diluting the votes of the state’s Black residents.
The majority ruling also declined a request to water down Section 2 of the VRA, which bars election (in this case, redistricting) practices that result in a denial or curtailment of the right to vote based on race.
The decision on Allen vs. Milligan was seen as excellent news by voting rights advocates, especially after years of bad news from the courts in this area. The case may impact a similar one pending in Louisiana and at least 30 other redistricting lawsuits in 10 states.
Our panel includes legal experts and activists in the voting rights arena for voters of color and the main plaintiff in the Milligan case, who will analyze the rippling effects of this critical decision in the future of voting rights.
