CASE SUMMARY

On December 30, 2021, a coalition of civil rights and community organizations and Georgia voters filed a federal lawsuit against Georgia’s Secretary of State challenging the state’s enacted legislative redistricting plans as diluting Black voters’ voting strength in violation of Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act (“VRA”). They sought a judicial declaration the plans violated the VRA, a preliminary and permanent injunction barring the plans from use in future elections, an order requiring the State to enact new plans that comply with the VRA and, if necessary, for the court to order an interim plan into use for the 2022 elections.

  • Between February 7 and February 14, 2022, the district court held a coordinated preliminary injunction hearing for this case and two other challenges to Georgia’s redistricting plans, Grant v. Raffensperger and Pendergrass v. Raffensperger.
  • On February 28, 2022, the district court issued a preliminary injunction barring the congressional and legislative plans from future use after finding the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their VRA claims.
  • A consolidated trial for this case, Grant, and Pendergrass was held from September 5 to September 14, 2023. On October 26, 2023, the district court struck down the state’s congressional and legislative plans as violating Section 2 of the VRA and gave the State until December 8, 2023, to enact remedial plans.
  • On November 22, 2023, Georgia appealed the district court’s judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit but also proceeded to enact remedial congressional and legislative plans on December 8, 2023.
  • On December 28, the district court approved the State’s remedial plans as lawful.

Similar Cases: Common Cause v. Raffensperger; Georgia State Conf. of the NAACP v. Georgia; Pendergrass v. Raffensperger; Grant v. Raffensperger

CASE LIBRARY

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division - No. 1:21-cv-5337

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - No. 23-13914

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - No. 24-10230