Redistricting Race Rules

NPR and Scotusblog Recap Oral Arguments in Racial Gerrymandering Case

By EditorDec 06, 2016

Wash. DC - NPR's Nina Totenberg recaps Supreme Court oral arguments in , Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections and McCrory v. Harris; the racial gerrymandering claims arising from the Virginia state legislative and the North Carolina congressional map, which were heard on Monday. Click below for audio. Read Scotusblog's analysis here.

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Packing Minorities Into Districts. When Is That Ever Okay?

By EditorDec 05, 2016

Washington DC - The Supreme Court will tackle that question today as it hears oral arguments in two redistricting cases. Both cases are alleged racial gerrymander claims; one orginating from Virginia's state legislative map and the other from North Carolina's congressional district map. (more…)

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Court Rules 28 of 170 N.C. Legislative Districts are Racial Gerrymanders

By EditorAug 16, 2016

North Carolina - Last Thursday, a three-judge U.S. District Court panel ruled that 28 of the Republican-drawn districts for the N.C. legislature were indeed unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. The Republican practice of making "safe" minority districts even "safer" to comply with the Voting Rights Act was completely disavowed by the court. In short, the Voting Rights Act does not mandate districts in which minorities are already successful at electing their preferred candidates, to be packed with even more minority voters - something that North Carolina insisted was the case. The districts will stand for the 2016 election however. The court has ordered a…

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Fourth Circuit: N.C. Voter ID Law Targets Blacks with “Surgical Precision”

By EditorAug 01, 2016

North Carolina - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has overturned the lower court ruling that had upheld North Carolina's comprehensive voter identification requirements. The panel commented that this law targeted African-American voters with "surgical precision." http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/735007299516 Read the court opinion here. Read more in the Washington Post. Read more in the New York Times.

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Unpacking the Texas Voter ID Decision

By EditorJul 27, 2016

Philadelphia, Pa. - Lyle Denniston of The Nation Constitution Center in Philadelphia writes this thorough review of the Circuit Court's decision in Veasey et al. v. Abbott, which significantly modifies implementation of Texas' voter ID law. It was a 203 page opinion, Denniston details the reasoning of the plurality, concurrences and the dissent. Read more here.

Redistricting, Redistricting Race RulesNational Constitution Center, Texas, voter ID

Meet the Man Behind the Texas Voter ID Lawsuit

By EditorJul 26, 2016

Texas - U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey was a state legislator in Texas when that body passed a comprehensive Voter Identification law. He had misgivings after witnessing the legislative debate and eventually sued. North Texas public radio's Rick Holter sat down with Veasey, who represents Texas' 33rd congressional district, to discuss what brought him to sue and whether he thinks the recent Fifth Circuit ruling will relieve the harms he says it causes to some voters. Listen below.

Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race RulesTexas, voter ID

Texas Appeals Court Rejects Voter ID Law. Sort of

By EditorJul 25, 2016

Texas - This Wednesday the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a major blow to the 2011 Texas Voter ID law which has been in effect now since 2013. The main legal challenge against this law, which specifies 7 types of photo identification that must be used to register and vote - has been that it violates the Voting Right Act both because it was passed by the legislature with an intent to discriminate against poor and minority voters and because in practice, it has a discriminatory effect on those groups. With respect to the discriminatory effect claim, the…

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Navajo Lawsuit Against Off-Reservation Polling Places Survives Motion to Dismiss

By EditorJul 19, 2016

Utah - Residents of a Navajo reservation have filed suit against San Juan county election officials after polling places were closed in and around the reservation. While county voters may mail-in their ballots, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim that there is no "in-person" voting available on the reservation, and this interferes with the reservation inhabitant's voting rights. This week a judge denied the election officials' motion to dismiss. Read more in the Salt Lake Tribune.

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Delaware Passes Law Restoring Voting Rights to Felons With Outstanding Court Debts

By EditorJul 18, 2016

Delaware - Gov. Jack Markell on Wednesday signed a bill that allows felons to vote before they have paid all fines, fees and restitution. Previously, all fines, charges, fees associated with a conviction had to be satisfied before restoration of voting rights. The Delaware legislature recently removed a 5 year waiting period requirement for felons that served their sentences. According to the Washington Post, Delaware had been one of only 3 states requiring financial restitution as a condition of voting privilege restoration.

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NAACP-LDF Releases Catalog of Voting Law Changes Since Shelby Decision

By EditorJun 14, 2016

Washington, DC - Last week the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund released this report detailing state, county, and local voting changes proposed or implemented, during the past three years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder halting the Department of Justice's preclearance system that operated to preapprove voting changes made by covered states. As the report indicates, a majority of preclearance activity (80%) had been to approve voting changes on the local level. Dramatic reduction in the number of polling places, and widespread purging of voter rolls have been on the rise since Shelby. The report…

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