Selma residents react to U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Alabama congressional districts

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

People in Selma are commending the U.S. Supreme Court for ruling against the Congressional map — because they say — it discriminated against Black voters.

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh aligned with the court’s liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black.

Many people believe the maps as they were drawn — watered down the influence — and impact of black voters in the state.

They say the ruling is a matter of equal representation — and another victory in the continuing fight for voting rights.

“I do believe in equal representation. And I believe in the vote. I feel that everything should be done in order to stabilize that vote,” said George Rhodes.

Albert Southall marched in the Selma to Montgomery march — back in 1965.

“Anything that, that’s redone to destroy what we did — what we accomplished in 1965 — is wrong,” he said.

Former State Senator — and Harvard educated — Civil and Voting Rights attorney Hank Sanders — says the high court ruling means — another majority black congressional district — will likely be created in the state.

“So, this is a great decision,” said Sanders.

“There should be two majority black districts in the state,” said Viola Hill Daniel.

“I mean one, that’s mighty slim. So we should have two, at least two. That would be fair,” she said.

Ironically, the ruling also appears to show — that black voters still need the protection — that the very same court stripped away — when it hindered the pre-clearance component of the Voting Rights Act.

“With Section 5 — it says you got to pre-clear. We got to look at this before it go into effect. Because these are some constitutional rights,” said Sanders.

“And specific constitutional rights that have been denied to black folks for over 100 years.”