CASE SUMMARY

On January 5, 2022, a coalition of current and former black Michigan lawmakers, the Romulus City Council, and Michigan voters filed a petition with the Michigan Supreme Court challenging the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s adopted congressional and legislative plans as violating the Michigan Constitution’s requirement that districts “shall comply with the [federal] Voting Rights Act[.]” Petitioners alleged the congressional and legislative districts in and around Detroit impermissibly diluted Black voters’ voting strength in violation of § 2 of the VRA and that the plans violated the retrogression standard under § 5 of the VRA. They sought a declaratory judgment the final plans violated the VRA and the Michigan Constitution and an order requiring the Commission to adopt VRA-compliant remedial plans.

  • On February 3, 2022, the Court rejected the claims and dismissed the complaint after finding the plaintiffs failed to establish the existence of the third Gingles factor, racial-bloc voting, in the challenged districts, and thus could not establish a VRA violation.
  • On February 11, 2022, the plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for rehearing arguing the Court improperly dismissed their claims after only the pleadings phase and asking for an opportunity to prove their claims with a newly retained expert witness to testify on racially polarized voting in Michigan. The Court denied the motion on February 16.

CASE LIBRARY

Michigan Supreme Court - No. 163926