Bartlett v. Strickland

The Voting Rights Act prohibits vote dilution in order to ensure that minority voters have an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. In this case, minority voters in one of North Carolina’s state legislative districts had successfully elected candidates of their choice through coalition building. In defending its decision to dismantle the district, the state court ruled that minorities cannot assert a vote dilution claim unless they represent 50 percent of the population. The ACLU submitted an amicus brief, along with other civil rights groups, arguing that the state court’s position is inconsistent with the history, purpose, and prior interpretation of the Voting Rights Act.