Supreme Court Updates

• Alexander v. S.C. NAACP - The Supreme Court upheld South Carolina's congressional map (6-3) finding that the lower court committed clear error.
• Landry v. Callais - The Supreme Court stayed a three-judge panel's order under Purcell v. Gonzalez. Louisiana will use a map a lower court panel found to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander for the 2024 elections.
• Palmer v. Trevino - SCOTUS declined to stay a district court judge's order imposing a remedial map for the 2024 elections.
• Simpson v. Thurston - A challenge to Arkansas' congressional map was sent back to a three-judge panel for further consideration post Alexander.

Census News

• The Census Bureau's differential privacy algorithm affects the accuracy of the block level Census data and may endanger voting rights.
• City and Town population totals point to some recovery for midwestern and northeastern towns.
• House Republicans passed a bill to add a citizenship question to the 2030 Census and apportion based on the citizen population.

News From the States

• Alabama - The Supreme Court's opinion in Alexander could help Alabama defend its 2023 Congressional map.
• Arkansas - A three-judge panel will take a fresh look at a longshot challenge to Arkansas' congressional map post-Alexander.
• Florida - Lawsuits are now pending against legislative or congressional seats in North Florida, Tampa Bay, and South Florida.
• Louisiana - A three-judge panel tossed Louisiana's new congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and was ordered to enact a new map by June 3rd or the court would impose one. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asked the Supreme Court to stay the lower court's order, arguing that electoral chaos would ensue if Louisiana didn't have a map by May 15th. SCOTUS stayed the lower court's order under Purcell. The stay reportedly caused headaches for House Republicans.
• Michigan - The MICRC dismissed its SCOTUS appeal and proposed several sets of Senate maps.
• North Carolina - A federal three-judge panel held a hearing on May 28 for a pair of consolidated challenges to the state's new legislative and congressional maps and set trial for June 2025. A state court challenge has been delayed until later in June 2024.
• North Dakota - The state is asking the Supreme Court to send a case back to the 8th Circuit that it previously won.
• Texas - A case out of Galveston County could have national implications.
• Washington - The Supreme Court chose not to stay a controversial order by a district court judge in Washington.

Updates to the American Redistricting Project

Blog: ARP has a new blog series diving into the Detailed Ancestry Characteristics available in the 2020 Census Data. The series is available here.

Litigation: 59 active lawsuits are currently being tracked. Highlights include:

• Florida's four active legislative and/or congressional cases.
  • Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, Inc. v. Byrd (FL-05)
  • Common Cause Florida v. Byrd (FL-05)
  • Hodges v. Passidomo (Florida Senate Districts around Tampa Bay)
  • Cubanos Pa'Lante, et al. v. Florida House of Representatives and Cord Byrd (3 Congressional Districts and 7 Florida House Districts in South Florida)
• Louisiana's many active legislative, judicial, and congressional cases.
  • Callais v. Landry (Congressional)
  • Nairne v. Landry (Legislative)
  • Chisom v. Louisiana (Judicial - Consent Decree)
  • Allen v. Louisiana (Judicial)