Abbeville issues statement regarding lawsuit

Earlier this week, two Civil Rights groups filed a lawsuit against the city of Abbeville over redistricting.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Vermilion Parish NAACP to block the Abbeville City Council-approved redistricting map that denies equal representation to voters, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s One-Person, One-Vote requirement. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, claims the Abbeville City Council knowingly enacted a malapportioned map.
On Dec. 20, 2022, the Abbeville City Council voted 5-0 not to reapportion the district map.
On Wednesday, the city released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, the City of Abbeville was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana. This suit was filed by the Vermilion Chapter of the NAACP and makes allegations that the City of Abbeville has violated federal law by failing to reapportion the voting districts applicable to the Abbeville City Council elections. While the City of Abbeville has had communications with the party that has filed this lawsuit, the city was disappointed to receive notice from a local news agency of this litigation. Mayor Roslyn R. White and the members of the Abbeville City Council approached the issue of apportionment with much research, care and consideration ahead of the unanimous decision to leave the current voting districts in place. The interests of the people of Abbeville are always at the forefront of every decision made by the Council and the Mayor. While specifics of the lawsuit cannot be discussed at this time, the City of Abbeville believes that the facts of this case will show that the current voting districts are not in violation of any voters’ rights.”
Mayor Roslyn R. White said, “As a new administration, we are focused on creating a more equitable and inclusive city and building a network of resources to tackle the many challenges facing our community. We made our decision to keep the current districts based on data and in good faith that we had the support of the community that has entrusted us to lead the city. I believe that the totality of the facts will support our decision. This issue is now in the hands of the court.”