Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP

In Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed whether South Carolina's 2022 congressional redistricting map constituted an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. After the 2020 census, the Republican-controlled legislature redrew District 1, moving thousands of Black voters out of the district. The NAACP and a Black voter, Taiwan Scott, sued, alleging race was the predominant motive, violating the Equal Protection Clause. A three-judge district court ruled in their favor in 2023, finding the map illegally sorted voters by race. On May 23, 2024, the Supreme Court reversed 6-3, holding that the district court failed to properly apply the presumption of legislative good faith and that the plaintiffs did not show race, rather than partisan politics, dominated the redistricting process.

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the lower court 6-3, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to prove race was the predominant factor in the redistricting. The challenged congressional map remains in effect, and the case was remanded for further proceedings consistent with the opinion.

Whether the South Carolina legislature predominantly relied on race when drawing congressional district lines, violating the Equal Protection Clause, and whether the lower court clearly erred in finding racial gerrymandering.

The decision raises the bar for proving racial gerrymandering claims by reinforcing the presumption of legislative good faith and requiring clear evidence that race, not partisanship, drove redistricting. It makes it harder for minority voters and civil rights groups to challenge maps that dilute Black voting strength, potentially affecting future redistricting litigation nationwide.