Category Archives: Voting Rights Act

“The fight over Alabama’s congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court”

July 24, 2023, 5:25 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

AP: Alabama lawmakers on Friday approved new district lines six weeks after the surprise U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a lower court ruling that the state’s previous map — with one Black-majority district out of seven in a state… Continue reading

“Alabama legislature adopts new congressional map that could defy court order”

July 21, 2023, 5:11 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

WaPo: The Republican-led legislature in Alabama approved a new congressional map on Friday that increases the percentage of Black voters in two of the state’s congressional districts. But a legal challenge to the map is already in the works,… Continue reading

“Galveston County’s redistricting plans go to trial next month, in a major test of the Voting Rights Act”

July 18, 2023, 12:44 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

From Houston Public Media: “Next month, a federal trial will take place in Galveston that will mark the first serious test of the Voting Rights Act since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a key portion of the law in … Continue reading

Supreme Court Sets Oral Argument in South Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Case for October 11

July 14, 2023, 7:56 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Calendar.

Edsall on the New Vote Denial

July 13, 2023, 5:46 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

From the great Thomas Edsall in the NYT. His weekly columns are always worth reading, because he understands the grave challenges that American democracy faces and does a great job of explaining complex social science research to a lay audience.… Continue reading

“How the former Confederate capital slashed Black voting power, overnight”

July 10, 2023, 8:21 pmVoting Rights ActDan Tokaji

From WaPo, some voting rights history: “In the 1960s, Richmond was plagued by a suffering economy, rotting infrastructure and widespread poverty, prompting the city to begin a years-long campaign to widen its boundaries. On Jan. 1, 1970, it annexed… Continue reading

Competing Voting Bills in Congress

July 10, 2023, 12:27 pmVoting Rights ActDan Tokaji

AP reports: Congress in the coming weeks will consider shoring up voting and election laws — efforts that will reflect the vast gulf between Democrats and Republicans on protecting a foundation of American democracy. The parties will unveil separate… Continue reading

Louisiana Argues that the District Court Considering Voting Rights Challenge to Louisiana Congressional Redistricting Should Consider if Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is No Longer Constitutional

July 7, 2023, 10:04 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Yup, there it is (via Hansi Lo Wang): [The Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision in] SFFA has considerably altered the landscape of cases, such as this one, that involve state action requiring racial classifications. 2023 WL 4239254,… Continue reading

Watch Archived Video of My Conversation with Patt Morrison on the Supreme Court’s Recent Election law Cases and More

July 6, 2023, 7:24 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Great to talk again as part of the America at a Crossroads series. Watch:

“Ongoing Voting Rights Act Redistricting Litigation After SCOTUS Ruling in Allen v. Milligan”

July 5, 2023, 2:45 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Brennan Center: Proving a Section 2 case is by no means an easy task, especially, as the Milligan opinion noted, at the congressional and state legislative levels. But discrimination against voters of color persists across the country, in part… Continue reading

“How the far right tore apart one of the best tools to fight voter fraud”

July 4, 2023, 9:25 amfraudulent fraud squad, voter registration, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Miles Parks for NPR.

Little Discussion of the Voting Rights Act and Racial Gerrymandering Claims in Today’s Affirmative Action in Education Ruling

June 29, 2023, 8:11 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion in Students for Fair Admissions makes a fleeting reference to the Voting Rights Act and cites some racial gerrymandering cases (including Shaw v. Reno and Miller v. Johnson) for certain propositions about considerations of race… Continue reading

Roberts’ Majority Opinion Preserving the Status Quo in Alabama Voting Rights Act Case Must Be Seen in Light of His Killing of Affirmative Action in Education in Today’s Students for Fair Admissions Case

June 29, 2023, 7:28 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

A few weeks ago, after the Supreme Court preserved the (weak) status quo for Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Allen v. Milligan, I wrote in the NY Times: The big mystery is why Chief Justice… Continue reading

Don’t Count on the Gorsuch and Thomas Votes in Future Voting Cases; Expect Them to Side Against Voting Rights Litigants

June 27, 2023, 5:42 pmlegislation and legislatures, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

In today’s Moore decision, Justices Thomas and Gorsuch rejected the majority approach to the independent state legislature theory, believing instead that state legislatures have almost plenary power and cannot be limited even by state courts applying state constitutions. (Justice Alito… Continue reading