U.S. Supreme Court: Shelby County Cannot Recoup Attorney Fees for Winning Landmark Voting Rights Case

U.S. Supreme Court: Shelby County Cannot Recoup Attorney Fees for Winning Landmark Voting Rights Case

By EditorJan 25, 2016
Today the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Shelby County, Alabama. It means that Shelby is stuck with the $2 million bill for winning its landmark case against the Voting Rights Act. It had filed a petition to recover its attorneys fees, which is allowed under the Act but a lower court denied the claim and the Supreme Court agreed. The lower court ruled on the basis that the litigation did not advance the law's anti-discriminatory purpose. Read the NYT article here.
LAW, NEWS, POLICY and PRACTICE, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, ,
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Voting Rights Gets A New Scholarly Institution

Voting Rights Gets A New Scholarly Institution

By EditorNov 17, 2015
Voting Rights litigators, advocates, experts and practitioners have a new resource both online and off with the newly established Voting Rights Institute at Georgetown Law. The institute was formed in partnership with the American Constitution Society and the Campaign Legal Center. Many of the stalwarts working behind the scenes in voting rights litigation came together for what many would say is a much needed destination for voting rights scholarship, a subject often lost in the larger civil rights agenda. (more…)
Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, , , , ,
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Supreme Ct Preview: Persily Amicus Brief on the One Person One Vote Requirement

Supreme Ct Preview: Persily Amicus Brief on the One Person One Vote Requirement

By EditorNov 13, 2015
In this latest Supreme Court case Evenwel v. Abbott, exploring the claim that political redistricting should focus on balancing the number of eligible voters in the population across districts as opposed to total population, several amicus briefs have been submitted by interested parties. None other than Nathaniel Persily; Stanford Law professor and a sought after expert on redistricting has submitted this brief along with several other equally accomplished colleagues in the  voting/redistricting field: Bernard Grofman, Stephen Ansolabehere, Charles Stewart III, and Bruce Cain. Oral argument is scheduled for December 8th. (more…)
Casedocs, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, , , , , , ,
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A Fight Over Transparency in the Virginia Congressional District Court Case

A Fight Over Transparency in the Virginia Congressional District Court Case

By EditorSep 22, 2015
Richmond Va: The fight over Virginia's 3rd congressional district continues as the various defendants in the case petitioned the District Court to allow the various maps proposed to the court be posted online. The court has already determined that the 3rd district enacted by the Richmond legislature and governor in 2012 improperly diluted minority voter influence in the surrounding districts by concentrating into the 3rd district. The three-judge panel has given parties to the case until October 2 to submit briefs commenting on the 8 proposed maps submitted by various parties to the litigation and other interested members of the…
Redistricting Litigation,
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Supreme Court Looks Past Weak Pleadings to Find Potential Racial Gerrymander in Alabama Map

Supreme Court Looks Past Weak Pleadings to Find Potential Racial Gerrymander in Alabama Map

By EditorApr 14, 2015
The Supreme Court’s recent opinion remanding a challenge by Black state officials to the 2012 Alabama Legislative district map back to a federal district court is relatively short for a majority opinion but chock full of legal nuggets as the justices’ focused on several bases for returning this case back to a lower court to reconsider its ruling against the plaintiffs. In all, the decision discussed four distinct issues; two procedural and two substantive – it felt the lower court bungled. If we had to explain the four corners of the Alabama opinion in one sentence it would be; The…
NEWS, Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, ,
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Appeals Court Overturns Lawyer Fees in Texas Redistricting Case

Appeals Court Overturns Lawyer Fees in Texas Redistricting Case

By EditorApr 08, 2015
AUSTIN, TX — A federal appeals panel has reversed a decision granting roughly $360,000 in legal fees to lawyers who helped former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis fend off Republican-drawn political boundaries as part of a yearslong court fight over Texas’ redistricting maps. Read more in the San Antonio Express. Read the Opinion here.
Casedocs, Redistricting, , , ,
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