caseupdates

NAACP Loses State Court Battle Over Tennessee’s Redrawn Map – But Federal Fight Continues

By EditorMay 28, 20260 Comments

On May 26, a three-judge panel in state court dismissed a challenge to Tennessee's 2026 congressional map and election law changes, ruling in favor of state officials and leaving the new congressional map in place. The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP Tennessee State Conference and other petitioners, arguing that legislation passed during the special session, which included a new congressional map, changes to election procedures, and the repeal of a ban on mid-decade redistricting, violated the Tennessee Constitution and state law. In its order, the court wrote that "the sovereign State of Tennessee is immune from lawsuits "except as…

Tennesseecaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Tennessee

Missouri’s Congressional Map Survives Another Legal Challenge, but the Referendum Fight Is Still Alive

By EditorMay 28, 20260 Comments

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on May 27 that Gov. Mike Kehoe acted within his constitutional authority when he convened the special legislative session that produced the state's new congressional map, rejecting a legal challenge brought by the Missouri NAACP. In a unanimous opinion, the court held that the governor has broad authority to determine when and for what purpose to call the legislature into an "extraordinary" session, affirming the judgment of the lower trial court. The ruling closes out one of three legal tracks challenging Missouri's new map. The referendum signature dispute remains pending in state court, with Secretary…

Missouricaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Missouri

Court Declines to Block Florida’s GOP Map, Setting Up Longer Legal Fight

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

A Leon County Circuit Judge ruled today, keeping Florida's mid-decade congressional map in place while the lawsuits continue and election officials prepare for the 2026 races. The judge found that plaintiffs had not shown a substantial likelihood of success, writing that the evidence presented so far was circumstantial and not direct proof of illegal intent. Plaintiffs already filed notices of appeal, and the lawsuits will continue to trial. The lawsuit alleges that the GOP-controlled Legislature and Governor DeSantis enacted a map that violates the State's 2010 Fair Districts Amendments, which prohibit drawing congressional (and state legislative) districts that favor incumbents…

Floridacaseupdates, Florida, mid-decade redistricting

Court Rules Alabama Must Use Court-Drawn Map for 2026

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

A federal three-judge panel has once again blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map, ordering the state to use a race-blind court-drawn plan for its 2026 elections. The court ordered Secretary of State Wes Allen to administer Alabama's remaining 2026 congressional elections, including the August special primaries, using the map previously imposed by the court, which created a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The ruling came after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the court's earlier permanent injunction and ordered the panel to reconsider in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The…

AlabamaAlabama, caseupdates, mid-decade redistricting

South Carolina Mid-Decade Redistricting Is Dead. For Now

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

The Republican-led South Carolina Senate voted Tuesday against advancing a new congressional map, ending the redistricting effort in the state for now. Twelve Republicans joined with Senate Democrats to vote for a motion to kill the legislative effort to redraw South Carolina's seven congressional districts. The vote was 20-24 against a motion to force a final vote on the bill/map. The high-profile push came to an abrupt end as South Carolina state senators adjourned the special session, backing away from changes to district lines amid surging early voting across the state. Lawmakers spent roughly three hours at the State House…

South Carolinacaseupdates, Latest, mid-decade redistricting, South Carolina

SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Legislative Map Ruling

By EditorMay 18, 20260 Comments

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a brief order Monday, reversed a lower court's ruling that determined Mississippi lawmakers unlawfully diluted Black voting strength when it redrew the state's legislative districts. The Supreme Court's decision to toss out the ruling in the Mississippi case, along with a similar ruling in North Dakota, is the latest order set off by the justices' 6-3 decision in Callais last month. Earlier this month, the high court similarly tossed a Voting Rights Act (VRA) ruling against Alabama's congressional map that had mandated the state have two majority-Black districts. The Callais ruling, along with subsequent orders…

Mississippi, Voting Rights Actcaseupdates, Latest, Mississippi

With Election Clock Ticking, Virginia Democrats File Emergency SCOTUS Appeal

By EditorMay 11, 20260 Comments

Virginia Democrats on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the voter-approved redistricting amendment struck down last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia, escalating the fight over the state's congressional map to the nation's highest court. In an emergency application filed with Chief Justice John Roberts, attorneys representing House Speaker Don Scott, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, and the commonwealth of Virginia asked the court to pause the state ruling while the appeal moves forward. Democrats are asking the court to immediately freeze the Virginia ruling and keep the new congressional maps…

Virginiacaseupdates, lawindepth, mid-decade redistricting, policyindepth, Virginia

U.S. Supreme Court Clears Alabama to “Revert” to Previously Struck Down 2023 Congressional Map

By EditorMay 11, 20260 Comments

In a 6-3 decision on Monday, the Supreme Court lifted lower-court injunctions that had blocked Alabama's 2023 congressional maps and imposed court-drawn maps set to remain in place until after the 2030 Census. The unsigned majority order offered no explanation, instead vacating the lower court ruling and remanding the case back to the three-judge district court for reconsideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The decision opens a path for Republicans to pick up an additional U.S. House seat, as the 2023 map cuts two majority-Black congressional districts down to one, concentrating Black voters into the 7th Congressional District while…

Alabama, Voting Rights ActAlabama, caseupdates, Latest

Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Democratic Redistricting Plan in McDougle v. Virginia

By EditorMay 09, 20260 Comments

The Supreme Court of Virginia on May 8th, struck down a voter-approved constitutional amendment that would have authorized Democrats to redraw the state's congressional map mid-decade, voiding the results of the April 21 special election in which Virginia voters had narrowly approved the measure. In a 4-3 decision in McDougle v. Virginia, the court ruled that the General Assembly violated procedural requirements under Article XII, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution by advancing the amendment to the ballot, declaring that the constitutional violation "incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy." The core procedural flaw, as the…

Virginiacaseupdates, lawindepth, mid-decade redistricting, Virginia

Supreme Court Rewrites the Rules for Minority Voting Rights in Louisiana v. Callais

By EditorMay 08, 20260 Comments

On April 29, the Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that dramatically narrows how courts evaluate claims of racial vote dilution under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The decision, written by Justice Alito, involves Louisiana's congressional map known as "SB8," which was drawn to include a second majority-Black district after a lower court found the state's earlier map likely violated the VRA. When Louisiana complied by drawing SB8, a separate group of plaintiffs challenged it as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Supreme Court agreed, and in doing so, it reshaped the legal…

Voting Rights Actcaseupdates, Law, lawindepth, louisiana, national, News