Category Archives: Voting Rights Act
“One-man Washington nonprofit helps steer Shelby County voting case”
The Birmingham News profiles Ed Blum, whose Project on Fair Representation has taken the lead in judicial challenges to section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
More from Texas Redistricting Blog
“Texas voter ID case: Meet the three-judge panel”
Not a great draw for the Lone Star State.
Texas Redistricting Deal to Help Congressional Dems?
The Hill reports. It is hard to see Texas Republicans going along with this, but we will see. Michael Li live-tweeted today’s very long hearing before the three-Judge court in San Antonio, and it sounds like the primary… Continue reading
“Civil rights law on Supreme Court’s mind”
Reuters: “A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that dealt with a narrow issue in a redistricting case from Texas suggests that the nation’s top court is ready to reconsider a key part of the Voting Rights Act,… Continue reading
“Messin’ with Texas; The Legal Wrangle over Redistricting”
Must-read Sam Issacharoff piece in the Boston Review:
Texas shows that asking the wrong question yields no good answer. So long as the question is how many seats Republican insiders should give to Democratic and Hispanic outsiders, the answer will… Continue reading
NYT Editorializes on the Shelby County Voting Rights Case
The Times:
When Congress nearly unanimously reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006, it relied on abundant evidence that there is still pervasive, persistent, even Jim Crow-style voting discrimination in the South and elsewhere — including in Shelby County… Continue reading
“Testimony in Texas Redistricting Trial Ends”
The latest from D.C.
“State’s witness concedes point in hearing on Texas districts”
Star-Telegram: “A key witness before a federal three-judge panel considering the Texas redistricting challenge appeared to make a major concession Wednesday to the case made last week by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.” More from Texas Redistricting on … Continue reading
Quote of the Day
So, putting a voter identification law into effect to deter voter fraud is akin to posting an FBI agent in all bank lobbies in order to deter bank fraud.
Just as bank fraud isn’t usually committed in the bank lobby,… Continue reading
No Decision in Texas DC Preclearance Case Before 2/6 Post-Trial Briefs Filed
Michael Li gives the schedule. That’s a signal to the San Antonio court, not to wait to draw interim maps for the DC court to decide things.
No Bueno
Another controversial email in the Texas redistricting case.
“Perry v. Perez: Not That Big a Deal . . . But Wait”
Dan Tokaji: “Thankfully, Perry v. Perez avoids the looming issue of Section 5’s constitutionality, which wasn’t necessary to decide the case. But we may not have to wait long before it appears again. However the Court ultimately resolves that… Continue reading