The Southern Poverty Law Center filed suit today on behalf of the Vermilion Parish NAACP to block the current district map, claiming that it denies equal representation to voters in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) -- The Abbeville City Council is facing a lawsuit over the boundaries of its four council districts.

The Southern Poverty Law Center filed suit today on behalf of the Vermilion Parish NAACP to block the current district map, claiming that it denies equal representation to voters in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“This country was built on free labor, the blood, the sweat, and the tears of our ancestors, who suffered and died for us because they had a vision of better days for their future generations,” said Vermillion Parish NAACP President Linda Cockrell.

At issue is the council's approving the use of the same districts as before the 2020 census. Louisiana law requires municipalities to examine their district apportionment within one year after the release of the census to determine whether a new apportionment plan is needed.

The Fourteenth Amendment requires legislative districts, regardless of location, to provide equal representation and voting power for all citizens.

The suit, filed in United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, cites census numbers that show Abbeville’s population as 11,186. Divided equally, the population for each of Abbeville’s four single-member districts would be 2,797.

But the population in District B as currently drawn is 3,086 and 2,544 in District C, a deviation of 19%. According to the lawsuit, A 10% deviation is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s One-Person, One-Vote requirement.

The council unanimously passed an ordinance on Dec. 20, 2022 declaring that the 2020 Census results did not produce a “substantial variation” in Abbeville’s population, and that the council would reuse its 2010 electoral districts.

The Vermilion Parish NAACP drew up its own suggested map that divides the city into four districts with a deviation of less that 1%, and submitted it to the council on Sept. 23 when, the suit claims, the council declined to change is district map.

The suit is asking the court to declare that the district map violates the Fourteenth Amendment, prevent the city from holding any future election based on the current map and establish a schedule for the city to create a new district map.

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