December 8, 2015 LATINO LEADERS TO THE SUPREME COURT: EVERY PERSON COUNTS

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December 8, 2015

LATINO LEADERS TO THE SUPREME COURT: EVERY PERSON COUNTS
In Evenwel v. Abbott Case, Court Will Decide if Representation Should Continue to be Based on Full Population, Including Children and Non-Voting Residents

Washington, D.C. - The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of equal representation for all, regardless of age or voting status, in Evenwel v. Abbott, which the court heard today.

"Today's case poses a simple question: should our elected leaders serve everyone in their districts or not? The plaintiffs in this case wish to draw district lines that ignore anyone who cannot vote. The result would be underrepresentation for communities that have large numbers of children and people of color--two groups that need more attention from our elected leaders, not less. In a time when politicians see every season as campaign season, the Supreme Court must reaffirm that we are a nation of people, not just voters," said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

"This case threatens to fundamentally change the nature of democracy in this country," stated Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel. "Our original Constitution included the 'three fifths rule' -- an abhorrent clause that counted African American slaves as only three fifths of a person -- and we refuse to believe that the same Fourteenth Amendment that finally removed that abomination also imposed a 'zero fifths' rule on children and many immigrants."

"A reversal of the lower court’s opinion in this case to exclude all persons except registered voters from the total population count under the ‘one-person, one-vote’ doctrine would be a perversion of American democracy. Coupled with the court’s misguided opinion in Citizens United that continues to allow money to dictate electoral results, the failure to reverse decades of discriminatory vote denial inherent in felon disfranchisement, and the unfairness of completely unnecessary voter ID laws, a reversal in Evenwel would create a caste system of American politics where only the few speak for the many. As a nation, we cannot allow that to happen," said Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel for LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. In 2013, NHLA launched the Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.