Read the open letter from the Milligan v. Merrill plaintiffs

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Milligan v. Merrill on Oct. 4, 2022. This Alabama redistricting case will play an integral role in the future of the Voting Rights Act.

In Milligan, a group of Black voters and civic groups filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Alabama’s 2021 congressional map illegally “packed” Black voters into a single district and "cracked" the Black Belt community in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

In January 2022, a three-judge panel (including two judges appointed by former President Trump) agreed with the plaintiffs that Alabama’s map violates the rights of Black voters. But, in an unprecedented move and without any foundational basis, the US Supreme Court stepped in and allowed Alabama to use the discriminatory map in the 2022 elections.

In Milligan v. Merrill, the Supreme Court could:

• Affirm the finding that Alabama’s map violates the Voting Rights Act and require Alabama to draw a second district where Black voters have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice
• Reverse and allow the state to keep its discriminatory maps and continue to disenfranchise people of color
• Make it more difficult for voters of color across the country to win voting rights cases challenging discriminatory maps
• Make it much more difficult for states and local governments to voluntarily draw districts where voters of color have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice

BOTTOM LINE: The Voting Rights Act is in danger of being further weakened by the Court and Black and Brown communities in Alabama could continue to be disenfranchised for another decade due to unfair representation.

Sign the letter and join the Power on the Line movement!

**Organizations that would like to be added to the letter as a signee should email their logo and website (optional) to power@alforward.org.**