Dechert and ACLU Triumph in Miami Voting Rights Case, as Judge Declares Miami's Redistricting Unconstitutionally Racially Gerrymandered

A Dechert pro bono team in partnership with the ACLU achieved a significant victory in a Miami voting rights lawsuit.

In an 83-page decision released on Wednesday, April 10th, United States District Judge K. Michael Moore declared all five of Miami's city commission districts are unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Further, he mandated the implementation of a new map for future elections.

The decision follows a 2022 lawsuit by local organizations and individual residents alleging Miami's city commission districts were racially drawn to preserve segregation. The case went to trial in January and the Dechert and ACLU litigation team presented evidence that the city intentionally gerrymandered to keep three Hispanic districts, one Black district, and one "Anglo" district.

The Dechert pro bono litigation team included partner Neil A. Steiner, counsel Gregory P. Luib, and associates Julia Markham-Cameron and Christopher J. Merken.

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Dechert is a global law firm that advises asset managers, financial institutions and corporations on issues critical to managing their business and their capital - from high-stakes litigation to complex transactions and regulatory matters. We answer questions that seem unsolvable, develop deal structures that are new to the market and protect clients' rights in extreme situations. Our 1,000+ lawyers across 21 offices globally focus on the financial services, private equity, private credit, real estate, life sciences and technology sectors.