Cases & Actions
McClure v. Jefferson County Commission
ELC, along with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, represents a voter and organizations in an action to challenge Jefferson County, Alabama’s racially gerrymandered County Commission district lines. The County map packs Black voters into two districts, stereotyping them by race and reducing their political power.
STATUS: ACTIVE
UPDATED: June 12, 2025
UPDATE: On January 13, 2025, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Southern Division heard the case; we await a decision from the court.
BACKGROUND
Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, is governed by a County Commission comprised of five districts. The Commission’s district map strips Black voters from three of those districts and packs them into two super-majority Black districts. Each of these packed districts has more than a 75% Black population. These race-based lines are racial gerrymanders, in violation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, by packing Black voters into those two districts, Jefferson County weakens their power elsewhere. The case is scheduled to go to trial in late 2024.