Former Republican Governors Call on U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold Voting Rights Act Protections for Minority Voters
Former Governors Schwarzenegger of California, Racicot of Montana, Weld of Massachusetts, Whitman of New Jersey Argue Fair Representation is Essential to Democracy in Louisiana Redistricting Case
WASHINGTON — A group of former Republican governors, represented by the States United Democracy Center and Cooley LLP, today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Louisiana v. Callais, a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the state’s redistricting map. The brief, signed by former Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA), Marc Racicot (MT), William F. Weld (MA), and Christine Todd Whitman (NJ) asks the Supreme Court to reaffirm the legal standard that protects minority voters from having their voting power diluted, as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
“The Court must affirm the integrity of the Voting Rights Act and one of the most fundamental promises of our democracy: that every community has a fair and equal voice in choosing their representatives. Majority-minority districts are a lawful and necessary safeguard where a court has found racially discriminating redistricting,” said Christine P. Sun, Senior Vice President of Legal at the States United Democracy Center. “The Court should uphold what has been true for decades: protecting against racial vote dilution strengthens our democracy.”
The amicus brief was filed in a case regarding Louisiana’s congressional maps. Two federal courts previously ruled that Louisiana must adopt a redistricting plan that creates a second majority-Black district as the state’s original maps unlawfully diluted the voting power of Black residents, who make up nearly one-third of the state’s population. Louisiana enacted a new map to meet the district court’s requirements, which is now being challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the brief, the former governors contend that the legal standard courts used to determine whether minority votes have been unlawfully diluted must be maintained by the Court, and that it must not be weakened. They underscore that fair representation is a cornerstone of American democracy and that the VRA plays a vital role in protecting against historic and continued racial vote dilution.
Key excerpts from the brief:
“Our system of republican government rests on the theory that the government is legitimate because it operates on the consent of the governed. …
“To ensure this governing theory holds in practice, voting districts must be drawn fairly. That is, they must be drawn to ensure that voters ‘choose their representatives, not the other way around.’ …
“When voters have the opportunity to choose their representatives, they ‘support candidates who share their beliefs and interests,’ and in turn, ‘candidates who are elected can be expected to be responsive to those concerns.’ …
“The districting process is critical to determining whether all citizens in a state can fairly elect their chosen representatives.”
Oral arguments for this case are set for October 15. Read the full amicus brief here.
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About the States United Democracy Center
States United is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rule of law and free, fair, secure elections. We provide direct support to state officials and law enforcement leaders as they uphold the law and our system of checks and balances, protect public safety, defend elections, and preserve our democracy. For more information, visit statesunited.org.