A Democratic political group has launched a legal campaign to create additional majority-minority congressional districts in three Southern states, claiming the current maps discriminate against black voters.
Attorneys filed separate federal lawsuits in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana on Wednesday, challenging congressional maps that lawmakers in each state approved in 2011.
The lawsuits are backed by an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
The suits claim the districts violate the Voting Rights Act and deprive black voters of an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the U.S. House of Representatives.
They ask the courts to block the three states from holding any more congressional elections under their current maps.