MORNING NEWSBREAK | The League of Women Voters of South Carolina is asking the state Supreme Court to rule that the 2021 drawing of the voting map for the First Congressional District violated the state’s constitution.
A lawsuit, filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of South Carolina and Duffy & Young LLC, alleges the S.C. General Assembly drew a Republican-favored, gerrymandered congressional district for the seat traditionally anchored in Charleston.
Last year, a panel of three federal judges ruled the new First District map was racially gerrymandered by the state legislature by moving 30,000 Black voters from Charleston County out of the district. But in May, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reverse the ruling that struck down the 2021 remap, stating there wasn’t sufficient evidence of racial gerrymandering.
Monday’s suit claims that when the maps were redrawn after the 2020 election, South Carolina lawmakers violated the state’s constitution when they created the Republican advantage in the First District. They say the constitution prohibits redrawing based on political parties.
“Partisan gerrymandering is cheating, plain and simple,” said Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina. “South Carolina voters deserve to vote with their neighbors, and to have their votes carry the same weight.”
South Carolina Republicans publicly admitted to drawing the district to their party’s advantage in sworn depositions to the court during the federal trial, according to media outlets.
“This case is about restoring representative democracy in South Carolina, and I’m hopeful that the South Carolina Supreme Court will do just that,” Chaney added.
In other news today:
Navarro advances to 3rd round of the Olympics. The Lowcountry native advanced to the third round of the Paris Olympics in dramatic fashion with a three-set win over Victoriya Tomova of Bulgaria.
Carnival sails away, but other cruise ships plan to stop in Charleston. The S.C. State Ports Authority is booking pleasure ships years in advance even as it negotiates the sale of Union Pier Terminal to a local investor who has vowed to put an end to the site’s cruise business.
Charleston’s oldest park restored for grand opening. Hampstead Mall has been restored to its unique beauty by a diverse coalition including hardworking neighbors, “garden angel” volunteers, St. John’s Chapel Pastor Mathew Rivers, Second Saturday volunteers, the Eastside Garden Club, Charleston’s Parks Conservancy and others.
Drainage project in West Ashley finishes after five years. Charleston County has completed the installation of a pipe designed to reduce the depth of flooding for the homes and apartments on Boone Hall Drive and William Kennerty Drive.
U.S. Coast Guard hearing on Titan submersible to take place in North Charleston. The official date and location have been announced for the formal hearing on what went wrong during the Titan submersible’s final voyage.
Friendship AME Church unveils Tree of Remembrance. Friendship AME Church in Mount Pleasant renamed its educational building to the Jackson-McPherson Education Building and unveiled its Heritage Center Tree of Remembrance to honor deceased parishioners from the church’s founding.
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