Supreme Court sends dispute over Arkansas' GOP-drawn congressional map back to lower court
The Supreme Court told a lower court to take a fresh look at claims alleging that Republican-drawn congressional districts in Arkansas sought to minimize the influence of Black voters.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday told a lower court to take a fresh look at claims alleging that Republican-drawn congressional districts in Arkansas sought to minimize the influence of Black voters.
The justices threw out a May 2023 ruling by a panel of three federal judges that left in place the state's congressional district map. All four districts are held by Republicans.
The Supreme Court said the lower court should review the case again in light of the justices' ruling last month in a similar case from South Carolina in which Republican-drawn districts were left in place.
The lower court had concluded that the plaintiffs, Black voters and politicians, had failed to "create a plausible inference" that race was the predominant consideration when the new map was drawn.
The appeal at the Supreme Court was on hold for months, while the justices decided the South Carolina case. The justices on May 23 upheld the Republican-drawn map in that case, saying there was not enough evidence to show that it was drawn based on racial as opposed to partisan considerations.
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