There are currently seven United States congressional districts in South Carolina. There have been as few as four and as many as nine congressional districts in South Carolina. The 9th district and the 8th district were lost after the 1840 census. The 5th district and the 6th district were also briefly lost after the Civil War, but both had been regained by the 1880 census. Because of the state population growth in the 2010 census, South Carolina regained its 7th district, which had remained unused since the Civil War.
On January 6, 2023, a three-judge panel from the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ruled that the current 1st district lines were unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering and would have to be redrawn April of that year.[1] The case, Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, was argued on October 11, 2023, in the Supreme Court.[2][3][4] On March 28, 2024, the same district court that ruled the current 1st district lines unconstitutional, allowed for its use in the 2024 elections. It concluded that it would be impractical to create a new district map at the current time, mainly due to the upcoming military and overseas ballot mailing deadline of April 27 and statewide primaries on June 11. However, it still found the 1st district to be in violation of the 14th amendment and believed future litigation is possible after the 2024 elections.[5][6]
On May 23, 2024, the Supreme Court—in a 6–3 decision—ruled the 1st district lines were constitutional, reversing the District of South Carolina's original ruling and officially allowing the current congressional map to be used for and past the 2024 elections.[7][8][9] It also remanded the case back to the district court to rehear other claims made by the defendants.[10]
- ^ Byrd, Caitlin (January 6, 2023). "Federal judges strike down SC's 1st Congressional District as racial gerrymandering". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ "Talks on Alexander v SC State NAACP Amicus Briefs, case before US Supreme Court on October 11, now available online". League of Women Voters of South Carolina. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Montellaro, Zach (May 15, 2023). "Supreme Court to hear racial redistricting case from South Carolina". Politico. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Alexander v. South Carolina Conference of the NAACP Oral Argument". C-SPAN. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Quinn, Melissa (March 28, 2024). "Federal court reinstates lines for South Carolina congressional district despite racial gerrymander ruling". CBS News. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Greenberg, Madeleine (March 28, 2024). "South Carolina Will Use Gerrymandered Congressional Map in 2024, District Court Rules". Democracy Docket. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Herlihy, Brianna; Mears, Bill (May 23, 2024). "Supreme Court upholds GOP-drawn voting map in South Carolina gerrymandering case". Fox News. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Sherman, Mark (May 23, 2024). "Supreme Court finds no bias against Black voters in a South Carolina congressional district". AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Totenberg, Nina (May 23, 2024). "The Supreme Court rules in favor of South Carolina Republicans in voting map case". NPR. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (May 23, 2024). "Supreme Court Sides With Republicans Over South Carolina Voting Map". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2024.