Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

Federal Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Alleging that Alabama’s All-White Courts Violate the Voting Rights Act

September 1, 2017, 11:43 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release: Today, a federal district court judge denied the State of Alabama’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the method of electing judges to Alabama’s appeals courts violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. All 19 of Alabama’s appellate… Continue reading

Trump DOJ Argues Texas Should Be Allowed to Enforce Voter ID Law Court Struck Down Pending Appeal, Despite Intentional Discrimination Finding

September 1, 2017, 6:57 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

New filing in the 5th Circuit does not even recognize that the trial court found Texas engaged in intentional racial discrimination in passing its voter id law and substitute, and that this finding allows for a broader remedy under the… Continue reading

As He Did With Texas Congress Case, Justice Alito Stays TX House Redistricting Pending Full SCOTUS Review of Stay

August 31, 2017, 5:23 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Order (via Texas Tribune). As with the congressional stay order, don’t read too much into this temporary stay.

Federal Court Which Struck Down Texas Voter ID Law Allows Its Use in Sept. 9 Local Elections

August 31, 2017, 6:51 amThe Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

This order makes sense given the Purcell Principle. Still pending are requests in the district court and 5th Circuit to allow Texas to continue to enforce its voter id law pending appeal (which could well take a year or… Continue reading

Texas Attorney General Asks 5th Circuit to Keep Using Its Struck Down Voter ID Law Pending Appeal

August 27, 2017, 3:56 pmThe Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Stay motion. If Texas loses this stay motion, I expect they will try to get the Supreme Court to issue the stay,

“A judge ruled Texas’s second try at voter ID laws is illegal. She’s right.”

August 27, 2017, 3:48 pmThe Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WaPo editorial.

“After losses on voting laws and districting, Texas turns to Supreme Court”

August 27, 2017, 3:39 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Bob Barnes column for WaPo: The state of Texas is in the midst of an extraordinary losing streak in federal courts over the way it conducts elections. It is hoping the Supreme Court will come to the rescue. In the… Continue reading

“Texas’ Discrimination Against Minority Voters May Finally Come Back To Haunt It”

August 24, 2017, 5:28 pmThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

HuffPost on whether Texas will be bailed back into Voting Rights Act preclearance.

“Texas House map must be redrawn, federal court says”

August 24, 2017, 5:08 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: Parts of the Texas House map must be redrawn ahead of the 2018 elections because lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minorities in crafting several legislative districts, federal judges ruled on Thursday. A three-judge panel in San Antonio unanimously ruled… Continue reading

“Lawyers’ Committee Announces Settlement of Major Voting Rights Lawsuit in North Carolina”

August 24, 2017, 9:07 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release: Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), with the law firms of Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton LLP (Cleary Gottlieb), and Patterson Harkavy LLP announced a settlement the federal voting rights lawsuit filed on behalf… Continue reading

“Courts Have Blocked Three Discriminatory Texas Voting Laws in Eight Days”

August 24, 2017, 7:35 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ari Berman for Mother Jones.

Federal Court Finds Louisiana Engaged in Intentional Racial Discrimination in At-Large Judicial Elections [Corrected]

August 18, 2017, 10:46 amjudicial elections, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

From the 91-page opinion, also finding Voting Rights Act discriminatory effect: District-based voting was rejected for the 32nd JDC on at least six occasions between 1997 and 2011. Taken as a whole, this timeline shows discriminatory intent. Local white officials,… Continue reading