Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

“Ga. Judge Won’t Toss Black Voters’ Redistricting Challenge”

January 29, 2022, 7:22 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Law360: A Georgia federal judge rejected on Friday Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit by Black voters and civil rights organizations challenging Georgia’s new redistricting maps for allegedly diluting Black voting power.U.S. District Judge Steve C.… Continue reading

Breaking: Alabama Seeks Supreme Court Order Blocking Requirement for State to Create Second Black Majority Congressional District, Queueing Up First Major Test of Voting Rights Act in New Decade of Redistricting

January 28, 2022, 1:38 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can find the application at this link. The Supreme Court is likely to first grant a brief administrative stay while it decides what to do on the stay application. It would not be surprising to see the Court set… Continue reading

“Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement”

January 27, 2022, 11:58 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new boundaries for state Senate… Continue reading

“Black and Latino voters have been shortchanged in redistricting, advocates and some judges say”

January 26, 2022, 7:03 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WaPo: New congressional maps are completed in more than half the country, and so far Democrats have been spared the redistricting losses they endured a decade ago, a small mercy for their efforts to cling to their fragile House… Continue reading

WaPo “Factchecker” on “Jim Crow 2.0” Senate debate

January 11, 2022, 3:18 amDepartment of Justice, voting, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

Accurately describing itself as a “reader service,” this new Fact Checker analysis carefully details the arguments on both sides and the relevant provisions of the new laws in key states (like Georgia and Texas), including the DOJ and other lawsuits… Continue reading

“Detroit lawmakers plan to challenge redistricting maps over racial fairness”

January 3, 2022, 11:16 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Detroit News: A group of Detroit lawmakers said Monday they plan to file suit in the Michigan Supreme Court over redistricting maps they argue disenfranchise Black candidates and, by extension, Black voters. The congressional, state Senate and state House… Continue reading

“Georgia redistricting signed into law and lawsuits quickly follow”

December 31, 2021, 11:13 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AJC: Gov. Brian Kemp signed new Georgia political maps into law Thursday, finalizing Republican efforts to solidify their majorities in a rapidly changing state as opponents immediately filed three court challenges.The once-a-decade redistricting creates boundaries that give Republicans… Continue reading

“‘They know where Black voters live’: Challengers say ‘race blind’ redistricting maps are anything but”

December 29, 2021, 4:04 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

CNN: In states like Texas and North Carolina, Republican lawmakers in charge of redrawing the political maps for the next decade say that the new plans are “race blind.” Their opponents in court say that the claim is implausible… Continue reading

“News Analysis: California’s political redistricting was all about defining a ‘community’”

December 28, 2021, 1:19 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

John Myers for the LAT. He’s following it up with this Twitter thread.

“Michigan redistricting commission releases memos, recording from closed-door meeting”

December 21, 2021, 10:12 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

December 19, 2021, 9:12 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

December 13, 2021, 2:30 pmcampaign finance, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

December 6, 2021, 10:59 amDepartment of Justice, redistricting, Uncategorized, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

December 3, 2021, 2:57 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

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