Louisiana Wants Entire 5th Circuit to Hear Its Appeal (Bypassing a 5th Circuit Panel) Arguing that Private Plaintiffs Don’t Have the Right to Sue Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
Aggressive.
(via Hansi Lo Wang)
Category Archives: Voting Rights Act
Remedies Scholars Brief Filed in Chisom Judicial Elections Voting Rights Case Before En Banc Fifth Circuit
Remedies scholars Doug Laycock, Doug Rendleman, Caprice Roberts and I have filed this amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit, which is considering en banc Louisiana’s challenge to the consent decree in the Chisom case. It was written by a… Continue reading
“Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Revive Washington State Voting Map Said to Hurt Hispanics”
NYT:
The Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to reinstate a voting map for the Washington State Legislature that a federal judge had found discriminated against Hispanic voters.
As is the court’s custom when it acts on emergency applications, its brief… Continue reading
New OMB race/ethnicity categories
Justin here. This is a really big deal: the federal government’s got new standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity.
The Office of Management and Budget has a sneak preview today of tomorrow’s update of “Statistical Policy Directive No.… Continue reading
“Federal court rejects congressional redistricting challenge as state lawsuit awaits Florida Supreme Court”
The Tributary:
A three-judge federal panel unanimously upheld a controversial congressional map backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite accusations he and the Legislature discriminated against Black voters.
The judges agreed that the plaintiffs failed to show the Legislature was discriminating… Continue reading
Amid SCOTUS’s Continued Silence, Federal District Court in South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case Will Allow Congressional Election to Go Forward Under District It Held Illegal
Here is the order:
The present circumstances make it plainly impractical for the Court to adopt a remedial plan for Congressional District No. 1 in advance of the military and overseas absentee ballot deadline of April 27, 2024 mandated under… Continue reading
Cert. Petition Filed in Georgia Voting Rights Act Case Concerning At-Large Elections to the Public Service Commission
I’ll be watching this one.
“Obscure legal theory could weaken voters’ protections from racist laws”
The Guardian:
A federal court has embraced a novel legal theory that seriously threatens one of the last legs of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
At the heart of the dispute is who has the right to bring a… Continue reading
“Judge redraws WA’s legislative map after lawsuit over Latino voters”
Seattle Times:
Washington’s political map is set to change in response to allegations of discrimination against Latino voters, and a result could be Democrats winning more seats in the Legislature.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik approved new boundaries for… Continue reading
“Racial Turnout Gap Has Widened With a Weakened Voting Rights Act, Study Finds”
NYT:
When the Supreme Court knocked down a core part of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. argued that some of the law’s protections against racial discrimination were no longer necessary.
He wrote that… Continue reading
Federal Court Strikes Down Some, Upholds Other, Parts of Arizona Laws Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote in State Elections and for State to Investigate Possible Noncitizen Registration
This is a complex ruling in a long-running case. (Via AZ Law).
From the conclusion of the 109-page opinion:
Non-US Plaintiffs may enforce § 10101 of the Civil Rights Act. Requiring individuals who register to vote using the State… Continue reading
Travis Crum: “Justice Alito Embraces a Retrogression Standard”
The following is a guest post from Travis Crum:
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court denied cert in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, an important case about intentional discrimination and what facially neutral policies to… Continue reading
“Civil Rights Groups Secure Victory in LandmarkCase Challenging Racial Discrimination inLouisiana’s State Legislative Maps”
Release:
In a victory for fair maps, a federal court today ruled in favor of Louisiana voters, agreeing that the current state House and Senate district maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The plaintiffs who challenged the… Continue reading
Full Eighth Circuit, Over 3 Dissenting Judges, Won’t Rehear Case That Would End Most Cases Brought Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
The court’s decision not to grant rehearing en banc, a concurrence by Judge Stras, and a dissent by Judge Colloton, is here. The original panel decision held that Section 2 of the VRA contains no private right of action, which… Continue reading