RALEIGH, N.C. – Six North Carolina voters today filed a notice of appeal from a Wake County Superior Court decision denying their request to freeze enforcement of North Carolina’s Voter ID statute until a trial can be held on its constitutionality. A three-judge panel found last Friday that plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that the voter […]
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering is Non-Justiciable
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in North Carolina’s partisan gerrymandering case that federal courts will have no role in reviewing partisan gerrymandering. The 5-4 decision ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause determines that challenges to partisan discrimination in the redistricting process are nonjusticiable and North Carolina’s 2016 congressional plan will remain intact. Allison Riggs, senior voting rights […]
Wake County Litigants Applaud Adoption of Federal Court-Drawn Map for 2020 State House Elections
RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina General Assembly has approved a redistricting plan that reverts four state House Districts in Wake County (HD 36, 37, 40, and 41) to their configuration as they were drawn in 2011. The redraw was required by an order from a three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court to remedy changes made […]
Equal Justice Works Fellow Joins SCSJ to Support Justice-Involved Voters
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice welcomes Mitchell Brown, an Equal Justice Fellowship sponsored by the Ottinger Foundation. As part of the fellowship, Brown will focus on supporting citizens with felony records across the South who have completed their sentence to restore their right to vote and re-engage with the political process so that they […]
Voting Rights Advocates Call for Federal Oversight of Future Redistricting in Texas
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 2, 2019) – In a remedial hearing today in a Texas redistricting case that began in 2011, a three-judge panel heard a request from the Texas NAACP and other plaintiffs to require the state’s future redistricting plans to first be cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice. The brief, which included […]
Voting Rights Groups Object to Rushed Redraw of Precincts by State Elections Board
RALEIGH, N.C. (May 1, 2019) — Voting rights groups are calling on the N.C. State Board of Elections (“State Board”) to stop efforts to redraw the state’s voting precincts by May 31, 2019. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Democracy North Carolina sent a letter to the State Board on Tuesday outlining how forcing […]
Federal Court Order Now Requires Durham County to Comply with New Policies Regarding Youth Held in Custody
DURHAM, N.C. — A federal judge has endorsed a settlement that requires separate facilities for youth and adults in Durham’s detention facilities. The court order resolves a lawsuit brought by the family of 17-year-old Uniece Fennell after she took her own life in the Durham County Detention Facility (DCDF) in 2017. The order by U.S. District […]
SCSJ Urges Tennessee Lawmakers to Abandon Pursuit of Unconstitutional Restrictions on Voter Registration Programs
Concerns swell over impact SB 0971 would have for registering eligible voters NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 22, 2019) – The Southern Coalition for Social Justice urged Tennessee lawmakers to abandon efforts that could lead to criminal and civil liabilities for civic organizations engaged in voter registration efforts. The message came in the form of a letter […]
SCSJ Takes Partisan Gerrymandering Case to the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arguments have concluded at the U.S. Supreme Court in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina, a partisan gerrymandering challenge to North Carolina’s congressional plan that was consolidated with Rucho v. Common Cause. In addition to the two North Carolina cases, the Supreme Court also heard arguments in a Maryland partisan gerrymandering challenge, Lamone […]
Settlement of Case Involving Preventable Teen Suicide in Durham County Jail to Lead to Significant Policy Changes
DURHAM, N.C. – Two years after 17-year-old Uniece Fennell took her own life in the Durham County Detention Center, a lawsuit brought by her family has resulted in a settlement agreement containing significant policy changes and protections for youth detained and in the custody of the County. The lawsuit and settlement agreement were filed simultaneously with […]
Dr. Kareem Crayton Named Permanent Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice
DURHAM, N.C. – The Board of Directors for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) has named Kareem Crayton, J.D., Ph.D. to serve as the organization’s permanent executive director. Dr. Crayton has served as the organization’s interim director since January 2018. “We are proud to name Dr. Kareem Crayton as the Executive Director of our organization,” […]
SCSJ’s Allison Riggs Chosen as Oralist in North Carolina’s Partisan Gerrymandering Case
Case marks the second argument for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice at the U.S. Supreme Court WASHINGTON, D.C. – Plaintiffs in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) will be represented by Allison Riggs, senior voting rights attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, when the case is argued before the U.S. Supreme […]
Voters Challenge to State Voter ID Moves Forward
Wake County Superior Court Judge Sends Case to Three-Judge Panel RALEIGH, N.C. – On Wednesday, Wake County Superior Judge Vince Rozier, Jr. issued an order that allows a state constitutional challenge to North Carolina’s voter ID law to move forward in front of a three-judge panel. Chief Justice Beasley will appoint the three members of the panel. The […]
North Carolina’s Partisan Gerrymandering Plaintiffs File Final Brief with U.S. Supreme Court Ahead of Oral Arguments Later This Month
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Plaintiffs in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina filed their final brief with the U.S. Supreme Court today, just more than three weeks before the Court is slated to hear oral arguments in the partisan gerrymandering cases out of North Carolina and Maryland on March 26. Lower court victories for the plaintiffs mark […]
U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear North Carolina and Maryland Partisan Gerrymandering Challenges
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments in March 2019 in a challenge to North Carolina’s 2016 congressional map, which is one of the most egregious partisan gerrymanders in American history.
Statement Regarding the Investiture of Anita Earls to the North Carolina Supreme Court
RALEIGH, N.C. – Anita Earls was sworn in today as the 100th Justice to sit on the North Carolina Supreme Court in an investiture ceremony this afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earls, founding Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, was elected to the seat in November. Kareem Crayton, Interim Executive Director of […]
Statements from SCSJ Regarding Passage of the FIRST STEP Act in Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives approved the FIRST STEP Act (S. 756) today, one day after the U.S. Senate passed the legislation on a broad bipartisan vote. The FIRST STEP Act, an acronym that stands for Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, includes provisions that will, among things: […]
New North Carolina Voter ID Law Immediately Challenged by Voters
Six voters challenging the state’s new photo ID requirements filed a lawsuit minutes after the regulations became law. The complaint was filed in Wake County Superior Court along with a motion requesting a preliminary injunction, asking the court to halt the implementation of the law until the case can be heard in court. State lawmakers […]