Supreme Court punts on Louisiana congressional map
The Court won’t be issuing an opinion today on Louisiana’s congressional map after all. Instead, they’ll re-hear argument next term.
More analysis coming momentarily.
Category Archives: Voting Rights Act
“Survey shows Californians want ballots in more languages”
The LA Times reports, as we near the 50th anniversary in August of the expansion of language protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.
DOJ weighs in in Alabama preclearance
In the Alabama redistricting case, readers will recall the May 8 unanimous 571-page-opinion from one judge first appointed by Reagan and two judges appointed by Trump; the opinion said, inter alia, “try as we might, we cannot understand the… Continue reading
When will Supreme Court Further Erode Our Democracy . . . probably not until next week
The Court did not decide Louisiana v. Callais today.
The case involves a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional maps. In 2023, after a federal court found Louisiana had violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by failing to provide a… Continue reading
New Article on Native American Voting Rights
Pascal Sabino (Bolts) has published an extensive and in-depth profile of challenges facing Native groups in North Dakota and elsewhere as they seek fair representation and equal access to the vote. Among the issues highlighted are the impact… Continue reading
“Redistricting trial begins in North Carolina over allegations that GOP-enacted maps erode Black voting power”
PBS News
Plaintiffs allege “GOP legislative leaders violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution when they enacted new electoral maps.” Republicans claim the maps are a legal partisan gerrymander.
“Favorable rulings for the plaintiffs could force Republicans to redraw maps… Continue reading
“2024 Broke the Democrats. Can They Put Themselves Back Together?
Fascinating episode from Reveal that speaks to a range of issues of interest to readers of this Blog, from the NYC mayoral race to the appeal of Donald Trump among Latino voters to the future of VRA and the political… Continue reading
“Colorado Strengthens Access to Ballots in Spanish”
Bolts:
With these voters in mind, Colorado lawmakers this spring adopted reforms that will improve access to ballots in Spanish, which should benefit tens of thousands of voters.
Senate Bill 1, a landmark package called the Colorado Voting Rights… Continue reading
“The Standard of Proof in Racial-Gerrymandering Cases: Alexander’s Mistake and its Implications”
Michael Pardo has posted this fascinating paper (forthcoming, University of Illinois L. Rev) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
In Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the United States Supreme Court reversed a district court ruling that… Continue reading
Alabama Law Review issue dedicated to voting rights
A recent issue of the Alabama Law Review includes the following pieces:
Michael J. Pitts, Re-Legislating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
Daniel P. Tokaji, Racist Voting
Judge J. Michelle Childs, Voting Rights: Mechanisms for Social Change
Daiquiri J.… Continue reading
“Trump Court Pick Once Called For Bringing Back Literacy Tests For Voters”
Jennifer Bendery for HuffPost:
One of President Donald Trump’s nominees to a federal judgeship, Josh Divine, argued in a college opinion piece that people should be required to take literacy tests in order to vote — despite such tests being… Continue reading
“Alabama may pause redistricting efforts until 2030 to avoid federal oversight”
That’s the headline of a States Newsroom piece about a Wednesday filing in Alabama’s congressional redistricting litigation. But I can’t understand why it’s warranted.
It’s true that after a three-judge court’s 571-page opinion (not a typo) a few weeks ago… Continue reading
Plaintiffs seek en banc review of decision saying private parties can’t enforce the VRA
Two weeks ago, Rick covered the latest Eighth Circuit disaster, finding that only the DOJ, and not private plaintiffs, had any ability to enforce the Voting Rights Act. (An earlier Eighth Circuit case held that private plaintiffs couldn’t sue… Continue reading
“What Just Happened: The Trump Administration’s Dismissal of Voting Rights Lawsuits”
Hot off the presses at Just Security, Chiraag Bains — a former colleague at both DOJ and the White House — walks through in impressive detail the current Administration’s dismissal of “all salient pending cases” brought by the decimated… Continue reading