Civil Rights Organization Represents Kentucky Residents in Challenging State’s Legislative Districts
May 13, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
FRANKFORT, Ky. – On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project filed suit against the Ky. State Board of Elections, its board members, and the Secretary of State on behalf of five Kentucky voters challenging Kentucky’s legislative districts. The suit seeks to prevent the Board of Elections and the Secretary of State from using the Commonwealth’s unconstitutional legislative districts in any future elections.
In commenting about the lawsuit, ACLU of Kentucky’s Executive Director Michael Aldridge stated, “Despite our admonition to House and Senate leadership last year to enact constitutionally permissible legislative districts during the Regular Session, the General Assembly failed to do so necessitating the filing of this lawsuit.” He added, “The General Assembly’s initial failure to adopt lawful maps in 2012, and their failure to enact any maps during the 2013 Regular Session, denies voting equality to large portions of the state, particularly those voters in Northern Kentucky.”
Two weeks ago, a similar case was filed in federal court also seeking to force Kentucky’s adoption of new legislative districts prior to the 2014 Regular Session. When asked why a second lawsuit challenging the legislative districts was necessary, ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Laughlin McDonald stated, “The ACLU’s Voting Rights Project has, over the past several decades, accumulated a great deal of experience litigating these types of cases. We’re confident that this experience will complement the existing suit and provide the Court with additional insights that will aid in the fair, just, and expeditious resolution of the issues.”
The plaintiffs in this suit are represented by Laughlin McDonald, ACLU of Kentucky Cooperating Attorney Ben Carter, and staff attorney William Sharp.
