Statement on Evenwel v. Abbott

April 5, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision upholding that a state or locality may continue to draw its legislative districts based on total population.

"Today, the U.S. Supreme Court was on the right side of history by upholding the constitutional requirement that congressional districts be allocated based on census population data.

"The Court's decision was a win for our democratic process and a rejection of a politically motivated attempt to dilute the voting power of underserved minority communities.

"Rejecting the constitutionally mandated approach in favor of one that would have only counted voter population would have resulted in a significant reduction in valuable resources to underserved communities and less Latino political representation.

"Today’s ruling reaffirms a fundamental principle of our democratic system – everyone, regardless of voting participation, deserves representation.”

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.