Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

“Arkansas GOP moves to keep progressive measures off the ballot—but not conservative ones”

April 14, 2019, 1:35 pmdirect democracy, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Daily Kos: Angry that voters passed a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage in 2018, Arkansas Republicans are using their legislative majorities to put a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot that would make it vastly harder for… Continue reading

Florida: “DeSantis wants Secretary of State to ensure access to Spanish-language ballots”

April 11, 2019, 1:56 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

The Tampa Bay Times reports.

“5th Circuit judge raises eyebrows with ‘majority-minority panel’ reference in gerrymandering case”

March 27, 2019, 7:59 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

ABA Journal: A dissent by Circuit Judge Edith Brown Clement in a Mississippi gerrymandering case is raising some questions and eyebrows. What, exactly, did the federal appeals judge mean when she wrote that the state defendants “have simply had the… Continue reading

“Supreme Court considers a racial gerrymandering challenge in Virginia”

March 19, 2019, 11:00 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Steve Mazie for the Economist.

“Victory in Mississippi: Federal Appeals Court Rules State Must Redraw State Senate District Voting Lines”; Copy of 5th Circuit Order

March 16, 2019, 11:05 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release from the Laywers’ Committee via email: Last night, a federal appeals court ordered Mississippi officials to redraw district lines for a state senate district in the Mississippi Delta, leaving undisturbed the finding by federal district judge Carlton Reeves that… Continue reading

“Argument preview: Virginia racial gerrymandering case returns to Supreme Court”

March 11, 2019, 4:24 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Very readable Amy Howe preview at SCOTUSBlog of Bethune Hill II.

Shenkman’s Next California Voting Rights Act Challenge: City of Orange At-Large Elections

March 10, 2019, 7:23 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Voice of OC: “The imposition of at-large elections by the City of Orange has resulted in vote dilution for the Latino residents and has denied them effective political participation in elections to the five-member Orange City Council,” reads the… Continue reading

House Oversight Requests Documents re 2018 Georgia Elections

March 6, 2019, 3:07 pmchicanery, provisional ballots, voter registration, voting, Voting Rights Act, voting technologyJustin Levitt

The House Oversight Committee asked Georgia Governor Brian Kemp today for a set of documents related to voters’ difficulties in Georgia in 2018. So far, it’s just a request. And Kemp appears unimpressed.

“Hillary Clinton’s claims about voter suppression in Georgia and Wisconsin”

March 6, 2019, 3:06 pmchicanery, election administration, voting, Voting Rights ActJustin Levitt

WaPo’s FactChecker reviews some of Hillary Clinton’s claims about the 2016 election at the Selma Bloody Sunday commemorative service for this past weekend.

“Hillary Clinton blames her defeat on the downfall of the Voting Rights Act: But is she right?”

March 5, 2019, 8:40 amVoting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Salon asks. The answer is no.

“Precedent, Meet Clarence Thomas. You May Not Get Along”

March 4, 2019, 3:59 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Adam Liptak: According to data gathered by Stephen L. Wasby, an emeritus professor of political science at the University at Albany, Justice Thomas has written more than 250 concurring or dissenting opinions seriously questioning precedents, calling for their… Continue reading

“2020 hopefuls visit Selma for anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ march”

March 4, 2019, 3:27 amVoting Rights ActDan Tokaji

The Hill reports: Several Democratic presidential hopefuls visited Selma, Ala., on Sunday to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” civil rights march in the city.Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who have each announced their… Continue reading

Sen. Jones calls on Congress to “put seem teeth back” in VRA

March 3, 2019, 12:08 pmVoting Rights Act, VRAADan Tokaji

Pointed remarks from Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) on today’s Face the Nation: Well, you know I think if you look at– carefully you have to look at the state legislatures, governors and members of Congress that are Republicans. For… Continue reading

“Court battles could test constitutionality of California voting rights law”

March 3, 2019, 8:36 amVoting Rights ActDan Tokaji

LA Times: ” [A] conservative group is backing Poway’s former mayor in a federal court fight, arguing that the California [Voting Rights Act] forces ethnic gerrymandering on unwilling citizens and their elective bodies. The case is before the U.S.… Continue reading