Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

Eighth Circuit’s Holding that Private Plaintiffs Do Not Have Right to Sue to Enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act Would Decimate the Rights of Minority Voters; Supreme Court Review Almost Certain

November 20, 2023, 8:38 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Derek just blogged about this divided decision of the Eighth Circuit. It’s hard to overstate how important and detrimental this decision would be if allowed to stand: the vast majority of claims to enforce section 2 of the Voting Rights… Continue reading

Divided 8th Circuit panel finds Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not allow private plaintiffs to sue

November 20, 2023, 8:20 amVoting Rights ActDerek Muller

Judge Stras, joined by Judge Gruender, affirming the district court. From the opening in Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment: “Did Congress give private plaintiffs the ability to sue under § 2 of the… Continue reading

“Judge finds Voting Rights Act violation in North Dakota redistricting for two tribes”

November 18, 2023, 4:50 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: North Dakota’s 2021 legislative redistricting plan violates the rights of two Native American tribes because it dilutes their voting strength, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte said the redrawn legislative districts violated the Voting… Continue reading

Fifth Circuit Affirms Holding that Louisiana Likely Violated Voting Rights Act in Drawing Congressional Districts, Requires New Maps Be Drawn By January

November 11, 2023, 5:15 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

The unanimous panel decision not only found that the state likely violated Section 2 in failing to create a second black majority congressional district. It also rejected the state’s argument that private plaintiffs have no right to sue under Section… Continue reading

Breaking: Fifth Circuit Panel, While Affirming that Galveston, Texas Violated the Voting Rights Act, Calls for En Banc Rehearing So They Can Rule Against Galveston

November 10, 2023, 9:04 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Well this is an interesting (and disturbing) order. A Fifth Circuit panel has unanimously held that the district lines for the legislative body in Galveston County, Texas violates the Voting Rights Act as currently interpreted by the 5th Circuit by… Continue reading

“After Antifraud Crusade, a Trial Asks: Were Illegal Voters or Legal Ones the Target?”

October 26, 2023, 1:40 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Wines for the NYT: As Republican candidates and their supporters increasingly focus on specious claims of rampant voter fraud, a federal trial starting in Georgia on Thursday will examine whether a key campaign to unmask illegal voters in 2020… Continue reading

“BREAKING: Judge throws out Georgia’s redistricting, orders new maps”

October 26, 2023, 9:16 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

AJC: A federal judge ruled Thursday that Georgia’s district lines must be redrawn to ensure adequate representation of Black voters in Congress and the General Assembly, finding that the state’s maps illegally weakened their political power. The decision could result… Continue reading

ELB Podcast 5:2: The Roberts Court and American Democracy (Joan Biskupic)

October 18, 2023, 4:11 pmELB Podcast, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

New ELB Podcast: Is the Roberts Court shifting on its protection of voting rights? How has the addition of three Trump-appointed Justices changed the nature of the Supreme Court? Should we expect a new ethics code for Supreme Court Justices?… Continue reading

Federal District Court Finds Galveston County, Texas Redistricting Plan Violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act By Discriminating Against Black and Latino Voters; Orders Remedy for 2024 Elections

October 13, 2023, 6:56 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can find the district court’s 157-page opinion at this link.

Travis Crum: “Stopping Alabama’s Defiance of the Voting Rights Act”

October 10, 2023, 2:27 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from Travis Crum: Alabama is once again the frontline of the fight for voting rights. After two years of litigation, Alabama now has two Black-opportunity congressional districts. But unfortunately, there are shockingly few… Continue reading

“Court picks new Alabama congressional map that will likely flip one seat to Democrats” (and Alabama Will Stop Fighting over the Map for Purposes of the 2024 Elections) (Link to Order)

October 5, 2023, 8:22 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Politico: A federal court has picked Alabama’s new congressional map, which will likely result in an additional Black — and Democratic — member in the delegation. The new map came after the same panel of federal judges twice found that… Continue reading

Fifth Circuit Panel, on Party Line Vote, Delays Louisiana Voting Rights Act Congressional Redistricting Case, Potentially Pushing Any Remedy to 2026

September 28, 2023, 5:01 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Li with the details on what he terms a “terrible ruling:” https://twitter.com/mcpli/status/1707483620514927098

We’ve Issued a Major New Report, “24 for ’24: Urgent Recommendations in Law, Media, Politics, and Tech for Fair and Legitimate 2024 Elections”

September 13, 2023, 7:34 amabsentee ballots, election administration, election subversion risk, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights Act, voting technologyRick Hasen

Back in March, the UCLA Law Safeguarding Democracy Project held a conference, Can American Democracy Survive the 2024 Elections? Following the conference some of the participants met as an ad hoc committee to consider recommendations in law, politics, media, and… Continue reading

Justice Thomas Asks for Response from Voting Rights Plaintiffs by Sept. 19 in Alabama’s Emergency Motion to Avoid Creating Second Black Opportunity District for Congress

September 13, 2023, 7:07 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Docket.

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