“News Analysis: California’s political redistricting was all about defining a ‘community’”
John Myers for the LAT.
He’s following it up with this Twitter thread.
Category Archives: Voting Rights Act
“Michigan redistricting commission releases memos, recording from closed-door meeting”
Detroit Free Press:
Lawyers for Michigan’s redistricting commission used a controversial closed-door meeting to label legal interpretations of federal voting requirements that urge drawing majority-minority districts inaccurate and misleading, calling on the commission not to adjust lines based on … Continue reading
“Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats’ Power”
NYT:
Mr. Reives is one of a growing number of Black elected officials across the country — ranging from members of Congress to county commissioners — who have been drawn out of their districts, placed in newly competitive districts… Continue reading
“Activists target corporate campaign cash in battle against voting restrictions”
Kira Lerner:
Members of the Defend Black Voters Coalition chose Detroit’s Huntington Center as their backdrop earlier this month when they issued a warning about the dangers of “voter suppression legislation” backed by Republican state lawmakers. The building… Continue reading
Breaking: DOJ Sues the State of Texas under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for Its Redistricting Plan, Claiming Dilution of African-American and Latino Voting Strength
The complaint targets both congressional districts and the Texas House.
More coverage later from Nick Stephanopoulos, who is primary ELB blogger this week.
Texas’ bid to dismiss challenge to its maps fails
Three-judge district court panel rejects Texas’ preposterous argument that VRA precludes private enforcement of Section 2. I love the wry sarcasm, “it would be ambitious indeed for a district court-even a three judge court-to deny a private right of action… Continue reading
1982 Amendments to VRA–New Article
A new article by Richard Johnson, Queen Mary, University of London explores conflicts with the Reagan administration over the 1982 amendments to the Voting Rights Act. It pushes back against the view that Republican support can be explained by the… Continue reading
As Federal Options Close, Remember States
With a Supreme Court that is borderline hostile to voting rights and Congress in perpetual gridlock, it is no wonder voters and their advocates are despairing. Still, fade out the polarization noise, and the fact of the matter is that … Continue reading
“New maps spark debate over majority-minority districts”
AP:
For decades, the widely accepted strategy was to group together Black voters so they comprised a majority in a statehouse or congressional district. That principle was enshrined in the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires the creation of… Continue reading
“In historic vote, O.C. supervisors approve majority-Latino district for five-member board”
LAT:
In a historic vote, the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Monday created a majority-Latino district for the first time while also giving power to Asian voters.The lines for the supervisors’ districts, redone once a decade after the national… Continue reading
“Ohio Republicans’ redistricting map dilutes Black voters’ power in Congress, critics say”
“As Gerrymanders Get Worse, Legal Options to Overturn Them Dwindle”
Michael Wines for the NYT:
Voting-rights advocates are in a North Carolina state court in Raleigh this month, arguing in three lawsuits that Republican gerrymanders of the State Legislature and the state’s 14 seats in the House of… Continue reading
“Latino, Asian American, LGBTQ activists: They want to shape California’s congressional maps”
LAT:
Activists are urging the creation of a congressional district that links LGBTQ populations in Long Beach and coastal northern Orange County. Civil-rights groups say a plan to split up a Los Angeles-area district — the most heavily Latino in … Continue reading
“Ohio Republicans’ redistricting map dilutes Black voters’ power in Congress, critics say”
Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post
Legal challenge, including on state constitutional grounds, expected if Governor Mike DeWine signs the new map into law. Either way, “the map will only be in effect for four years, since fewer than one-third of legislative… Continue reading