Federal Courts Uphold Arkansas Redistricting Reject Racial Discrimination Claims

A federal appeals court panel upheld Arkansas's 2021 congressional redistricting plan, rejecting claims that dividing Pulaski County into three districts diluted Black voters' political power. The court granted summary judgment to the state, ruling that plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence that racial discrimination was the predominant factor in the redistricting, citing the Supreme Court's 2024 Alexander decision which requires disentangling race from politics in such cases. Plaintiffs, including the Christian Ministerial Alliance, had argued the split of a largely Black community violated the 14th and 15th Amendments by fracturing voting strength, but the judges found the evidence insufficient and recognized legitimate political considerations behind the map. This ruling ends ongoing litigation over Arkansas's map, with the court emphasizing the importance of maintaining faith in the electoral process. Meanwhile, in Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshall appealed a May ruling that found the state's 2023 congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act, indicating continued legal battles over redistricting in multiple states. Both cases highlight the contentious nature of redistricting and its intersection with race, politics, and voting rights in the post-2020 Census landscape.