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No. 18-281October Term 2018Decided Jun 17, 2019

Docket 18-281October Term 2018 (2018–2019)

Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill

The Supreme Court did not reach the map-drawing questions because it ended the case after finding the Virginia House could not continue on its own.

Case status

Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released Jun 17, 2019
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedJun 17, 2019
What it's about

Virginia voters challenged 11 Virginia House of Delegates districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders, and a federal district court struck those districts down. The Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the appeal, holding that the Virginia House of Delegates could not continue the case on its own after the State chose not to appeal.

Question presented

1. Whether the district court conducted a proper "holistic" analysis of the majority-minority Virginia House of Delegates districts under the prior decision in this case, Bethune-Hill v. Va. State Bd. of Elections, 137 S. Ct. 788, 799 (2017), even though it ignored a host of evidence, including: a. the overwhelming majority of district lines, which were carried over unchanged from the prior map; b. the geographic location of population disparities, which imposed severe redistricting constraints and directly impacted which voters were moved into and out of the majority-minority districts; and c. the degree of constraint the House's Voting Rights Act compliance goals imposed in implementation, which was minimal. 2. Whether the Bethune-Hill "predominance" test is satisfied merely by a lengthy description of ordinary Voting Rights Act compliance measures. 3. Whether the district court erred in relying on expert analysis it previously rejected as unreliable and irrelevant and expert analysis that lacked any objective or coherent methodology. 4. Whether the district court committed clear error in ignoring the entirety of the House's evidentiary presentation under the guise of credibility determinations unsupported by the record and predicated on expert testimony that should not have been credited or even admitted. 5. Whether Virginia's choice to draw 11 "safe" majority-minority districts of around or above 55% black voting-age population ("BVAP") was narrowly tailored in light of: a. the discretion the Voting Rights Act afforded covered jurisdictions to "choose to create a certain number of 'safe' districts, in which it is highly likely that minority voters will be able to elect the candidate of their choice,"?

Case path

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia / Decision released Jun 17, 2019

Area

Elections, Civil Rights

Briefing

What it's about

Virginia voters challenged 11 state House districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders (maps drawn mainly because of race). The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, saying the Virginia House of Delegates could not keep the case going alone after the State chose not to appeal.

Vote

The Court heard argument on March 18, 2019, and later dismissed the appeal. No vote count or opinion lineup is provided here.

Impact

That left the lower court's decision against the districts in place. In practice, Virginia election officials and voters were affected because the challenged map could not be defended further by the House alone.

What's next

The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. The lower court result striking down the challenged districts remained in place, and any further map changes were left to Virginia officials and lower courts.

What was the main fight in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill?

The dispute began over whether 11 Virginia House districts were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. It ended with the Supreme Court dismissing the House's appeal.

What were the real-world effects of the Supreme Court's action?

The lower court's ruling against the districts stayed in place. Virginia voters, candidates, and election officials had to live with the consequences of that result.

What happened next after the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal?

The Supreme Court's role ended. Any practical follow-through on district lines remained with Virginia officials and the lower courts.

Decision

Decision record

What the Court decided

The Supreme Court did not reach the map-drawing questions because it ended the case after finding the Virginia House could not continue on its own.

Result
Dismissed

Impact

That left the lower court's decision against the districts in place. In practice, Virginia election officials and voters were affected because the challenged map could not be defended further by the House alone.

Not official Court text.

Opinion documents