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Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005

Contact: Diane Gross
202-662-8600

For Immediate Release:
April 17, 2002

Lawyers' Committee Files Redistricting Lawsuit in Virginia

Lawsuit Alleges That Redrawn Districts Dilute Minority Vote and Violate Voting Rights Act of 1965

Washington D.C. - Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ("Lawyers' Committee") filed a lawsuit on behalf of Virginia voters alleging that Virginia's Fourth Congressional District violates section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The lawsuit challenges Virginia's new Fourth Congressional district, redrawn following the 2000 Census, because the new district dilutes minority votes and significantly impacts the ability of African-American voters to elect a candidate of their choice. The lawsuit, filed in state circuit court in Petersburg, Virginia, asks for declaratory and injunctive relief against further use of the discriminatory congressional redistricting plan in the Fourth Congressional District.

"The plaintiffs in this case are challenging this plan because it has the impact of undermining African American voting strength and participation. We are seeing this in a variety of places throughout the country as state elected officials engage in redistricting efforts,"said Anita Hodgkiss, Director of the Lawyers' Committee's Voting Rights Project.

The plaintiffs are individual voters who lived in the previous Fourth Congressional district, some of whom, because of redistricting, are no longer in the new Fourth. African-Americans were 39.4% of the total population in the former Fourth Congressional district and now, after Virginia's 2001 redistricting, comprise only 33.6%. The June 19, 2001 Forbes/Lucas special election highlights the significant impact of this decrease in the voting strength of African-Americans. There, according to statistical estimates, Louise Lucas received 100% of African-American votes. The African-American population of 39.4% came within three percentage points of electing the candidate they preferred. However, reducing the district's African-American population to only 33.6% virtually guarantees that black voters will not be able to elect a candidate of their choice to Congress from that district for at least the next ten years - five congressional elections.

"Our clients are frustrated to have come so close to electing their preferred candidate, only to see any reasonable chance of success taken away from them by a redistricting plan that unfairly dilutes their voting strength," added Anita Hodgkiss.

The Virginia legislature was presented with a number of redistricting plans that had African American populations of 39.4%, 40.4%, and 52.8%. It is possible to draw a compact Fourth Congressional district with any of these percentages, yet the Virginia General Assembly rejected them.

The Lawyers' Committee is joined by attorney Beverly McLean Murray of Petersburg in representing the plaintiffs in this case. Download a copy of the complaint here.

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