Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

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

March 28, 2024, 7:28 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

March 28, 2024, 7:01 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

I’ll be watching this one.

“Obscure legal theory could weaken voters’ protections from racist laws”

March 18, 2024, 8:04 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

March 16, 2024, 9:44 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

March 2, 2024, 3:27 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

March 1, 2024, 11:38 amvoting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

February 22, 2024, 6:19 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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”

February 8, 2024, 3:30 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

January 30, 2024, 10:13 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

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

“5th Circuit will rehear case that created Louisiana’s only Black supreme court seat”

January 30, 2024, 6:59 amjudicial elections, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Louisiana Illuminator: The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear a decades old voting rights case that established the only majority-Black state supreme court district in Louisiana, according to the court’s docket Monday afternoon. On Monday, the… Continue reading

“The California Supreme Court Replaces Gingles Prong One”

January 26, 2024, 10:55 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Jason D’Andrea and Bruce Wessel have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Fordham Law Voting Rights and Democracy Forum). Here is the abstract: This Essay analyzes Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica, the California Supreme Court’s first decision… Continue reading

“Your Guide to Four Emerging Threats to the Voting Rights Act”

January 26, 2024, 10:52 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Bolts: After years of being whittled away by federal judges, the Voting Rights Act unexpectedly survived an existential threat in 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld what’s left of the landmark civil rights law while striking down Alabama’s congressional… Continue reading

“Graves to lose U.S. House seat under Louisiana redistricting plan that adds minority seat”

January 20, 2024, 10:50 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval Friday to a congressional redistricting plan that adds a second majority-Black district to the state’s U.S. House lineup, likely at the expense of U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican from Baton Rouge. State… Continue reading

“Congressional map with Gov. Jeff Landry’s backing clears Louisiana Senate”

January 18, 2024, 7:42 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Louisiana Illuminator: The Louisiana Senate gave its approval Wednesday to a congressional redistricting proposal that increases the number of majority-Black districts to two out of six. Gov. Jeff Landry backs the legislation that faces an end-of-month deadline for approval. Senate … Continue reading