Challenge aims to unify communities of interest and ensure equal representation before 2026 elections
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Late last week,the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, over Prince George’s County’s 2021 council redistricting plan. The suit alleges that the map is malapportioned, violates the U.S. Constitution’s “one person, one vote” principles, and fails to meet the county charter’s requirements for compact and equally populated districts.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a diverse group of county residents, seeks to ensure that all voters — whether they live inside or outside the Beltway — have an equal voice in local government. The plaintiffs are asking the court to order new, fairer district lines before the 2026 election cycle.
“Prince George’s County deserves council districts that reflect its growth, diversity and shared priorities,” said Nick Steiner, senior staff attorney with the SPLC’s Democracy: Voting Rights Advocacy and Litigation Impact Team. “The county’s own charter requires districts to be compact and equal in population. But the current map leaves some residents significantly underrepresented while splitting communities that should be unified.”
Among other claims, the complaint details how inner-Beltway neighborhoods — where residents face shared challenges related to housing, transportation and economic opportunity — have been divided among eight of nine council districts, weakening their collective voice and dividing crucial communities of interest along the county’s four Metrorail line segments. Meanwhile, outer-Beltway residents — struggling with clogged streets, strained public infrastructure and erosion of greenfield space — likewise have representatives who aren’t representing their unique interests and aren’t supporting the county’s articulated growth and development strategies.
“This case is about fairness and equal voice,” said Suitland resident Leonard Gore Jr., coordinator of the Southern Green Line Coalition, an advocacy group focused on bringing affordable transit-oriented development to the four inner-Beltway stations at the southern terminus of Metrorail’s Green Line. “Communities inside the Beltway share common goals — revitalizing our neighborhoods, improving transit access, and bringing quality amenities closer to home. But the current map splits us apart, leaving our voices diluted and our needs overlooked.” For example, Gore noted that while the Branch Avenue station in District 8 has experienced revitalization, “community voices within Southern, Naylor & Suitland Metro station areas [in District 7] are diluted and their needs often overlooked.”
Bowie resident Rev. Dwight Cokely, executive pastor of Embry AME Church in College Park’s Lakewood community, is uniquely positioned to appreciate the symbiotic relationship between inner- and outer-Beltway residents and the importance of having effective representatives for both communities of interest.
“At Embry AME, my parishioners in Lakewood struggle with insufficient pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure for people who rely on public transit, as well as a legacy of discriminatory urban renewal. Many of my Bowie neighbors, by contrast, worry about overdevelopment and long commutes. We share the same county, but our challenges couldn’t be more different. Fair, compact districts would give both communities the focused representation they deserve.”
In 2022, a group of Prince George’s residents successfully challenged an attempt by the County Council to jettison the Redistricting Commission’s adopted map in favor of a politically gerrymandered alternative. The plaintiffs in the current case now seek to correct the remaining constitutional and structural defects in the map the commission left in place.
To ensure that fairer districts can be used for the next election, the SPLC is also moving for expedited review, requesting that the court resolve the case well in advance of the February 2026 candidate qualifying period.
“Our goal is simple,” Steiner said. “We want compact, equally populated districts that keep communities together, as both the Constitution and the county charter require. That’s the foundation of fair representation.”
A copy of the complaint is available here: https://www.splcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/prince-george-county-complaint.pdf
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About the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.