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This week, LDF submitted six documents to the South Carolina House and Senate redistricting committees offering testimony and comment on proposed redistricting maps. The documents include testimony by LDF’s Deputy Director of Litigation Leah Aden, testimony by South Carolina NAACP President Brenda Murphy, and supplemental comments from LDF and the ACLU. Testimony was given and submitted on the following dates:
- November 10: Leah Aden and Brenda Murphy testified before the South Carolina House Redistricting Ad Hoc Committee regarding our coalition’s proposed state House map and outlined concerns about the House’s proposed House redistricting plan. The coalition of LDF, the ACLU, the South Carolina NAACP, and the ACLU of South Carolina submitted its proposed plan on October 8. The House Committee published its proposed House plan only two days before the meeting, on November 8. Read Ms. Aden’s Nov. 10 testimony here and Ms. Murphy’s testimony here.
- November 12: Leah Aden and Brenda Murphy testified before the SC Senate Judiciary Redistricting Subcommittee regarding our coalition’s proposed Congressional redistricting maps and the subcommittee’s proposed Senate redistricting map. Ms. Murphy’s testimony introduced our coalition’s proposed Congressional map. Ms. Aden testified twice, first outlining concerns about several of the subcommittee’s proposed Senate districts that, as drawn, would significantly diminish Black South Carolinians’ ability to elect candidates of their choice and meaningfully participate in the political process, and second, reiterating guiding principles addressed in the coalition’s proposed Congressional maps, including compliance with the Voting Rights Act the constitutional requirement of “one person, one vote.” Read Ms. Murphy’s Nov. 12 testimony here. Read Ms. Aden’s Nov. 12 testimony here and here.
- November 15: LDF, the South Carolina NAACP, the ACLU, and the ACLU of South Carolina submitted a supplemental letter to the House committee detailing concerns with specific House districts drawn in the House committee’s proposed plan.
LDF has been closely monitoring the redistricting processes in South Carolina and other key states to prevent discriminatory redistricting plans and ensure that legislatures comply with their obligations under the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. Read more about LDF’s redistricting work here.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
