LDF's Return to the Supreme Court

In 2022, LDF made its return to the Supreme Court for the first time in seven years. Every year, LDF submits a few amicus briefs in various civil rights cases to the Court, but an LDF attorney had not delivered an oral argument before the Court since Buck v. Davis. But in 2022, Deuel Ross, LDF’s Deputy Director of Litigation, argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of Black Alabama voters in Allen v. Milligan. LDF challenged Alabama’s unconstitutional congressional map that denied Black voters equal opportunity to elect their candidates of choice. The Supreme Court ultimately agreed with LDF and ordered Alabama to redraw a map that complied with the law. But arguments surrounding the redistricting cycle wouldn’t stop there for LDF.  In October 2023, LDF returned to the Supreme Court to argue for fair representation for Black voters, this time for South Carolinians in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP. The congressional map the South Carolina House implemented created a racial gerrymander —  Congressional District 1, which contains Charleston — that intentionally packed and cracked Black voters and prevented them from having equal access to elect candidates of their choice. LDF Senior Counsel Leah Aden argued on behalf of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and an individual voter, Taiwan Scott. Thurgood Marshall Institute Director, Karla McKanders, sat down with Ross and Aden to discuss the importance of their cases, how they prepared to argue before the highest court in the U.S., and how their work is a part of LDF’s deep history of safeguarding Black political participation. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and helping others find it! To keep up with the work of LDF please visit our website at www.naacpldf.org and follow us on social media at @naacp_ldf. To keep up with the work of the Thurgood Marshall Institute, please visit our website at www.tminstituteldf.org and follow us on Twitter at @tmi_ldf.