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The Supreme Court Case That Will Decide if Voting Rights Should Be Race-Blind

Oct 10, 2022

Eric Holder, former U.S. Attorney General and chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, dives into the pivotal Supreme Court case Merrill v. Mulligan. He discusses how this case could reshape the Voting Rights Act and its effects on Black voter representation in Alabama. Holder critiques the race-blind approach to districting and highlights the potential consequences for communities of color. With insights from his past experiences, he underscores the importance of civic engagement and mobilization in the fight for fair representation.

13:52

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Eric Holder

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Struggle for Fair Representation: Alabama's Voting Rights Challenge

2min

The Debate on Race and Redistricting in Alabama

2min

Voting Rights at Stake: The Alabama Case

6min

The Impact of Supreme Court Decisions on Voting Rights Nationwide

3min

Last week, the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in Merrill v. Mulligan, a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for the third time this decade.

At the center of the debate is Alabama's new congressional maps. Black voters make up the majority of only one out of seven districts. More than a quarter of the state's population is Black.

A three-judge federal panel ruled that Alabama should create a second congressional district. The state appealed, arguing that congressional maps shouldn't take race into consideration, and the case is now in front of the Supreme Court.

Eric Holder was the U.S. attorney general during the first case that weakened the Voting Rights Act: Shelby County v. Holder. He is now in the middle of this latest fight as the chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which supports the plaintiff in the Alabama case. He shares with us the potential impact of this case and where the fight for voting rights goes if the Voting Rights Act receives yet another body blow.

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