Hunt v. Cromartie
Government Accountability
In 1998, plaintiffs challenged North Carolina’s 47 percent African-American 12th District as being in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. Plaintiffs and Defendants both filed motions for summary judgment, and the district court granted summary judgment in Plaintiffs’ favor. The Center filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of the congressional district, urging the Court to reverse the district court’s ruling and grant summary judgment in Defendants’ favor. The Court reversed and remanded, holding that triable issues regarding whether the state legislature had drawn the congressional redistricting plan with impermissible racial motive precluded summary judgment. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Defendants’ favor in the dispute in the case of Easley v. Cromartie.