8th Circuit Becomes the First to Deny Private Litigants Standing to Sue Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

8th Circuit Becomes the First to Deny Private Litigants Standing to Sue Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

This Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP has decided against appealing an 8th Circuit ruling that individuals have no standing to sue under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling comes after decades of court cases that have allowed private litigants to sue under the Act. First a little background: Who Can Sue Under the Voting Rights Act Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) (found at 52 U.S.C. § 10301) prohibits discrimination in voting based on race, color, or membership in an enumerated language minority group. Since its enactment, courts have assumed that private citizens and…
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Campaign Legal Center Issues a Performance Review of Redistricting Commissions during the 2021 Cycle

Campaign Legal Center Issues a Performance Review of Redistricting Commissions during the 2021 Cycle

On June 26, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released a report evaluating the performance of various redistricting commissions in the 2021 redistricting cycle. According to CLC, it was "based on an in-depth review of the laws and procedures that governed commissions in each state, as well as an assessment of each commission’s redistricting process. The report presents a number of case studies from the 2021 cycle, which summarize how particular commissions functioned in practice and distills general principles that can be drawn from each commission’s experience." Read the report titled "Redistricting Commissions in the 2021 Redistricting Cycle." Find us on:
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Pennsylvania: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest Supporting Individuals’ Right to Sue Under Voting Rights Act of 1965

Pennsylvania: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest Supporting Individuals’ Right to Sue Under Voting Rights Act of 1965

Press Release: May 2, 2024 SCRANTON – The Justice Department announced that it has filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania supporting the right of private plaintiffs to bring a lawsuit to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This filing is one of many recent briefs by the Justice Department supporting the longstanding principle that private plaintiffs are authorized to bring lawsuits to vindicate important rights protected by the Voting Rights Act. “The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and it is the right on which…
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New 2030 Census Advisory Committee Members Appointed

New 2030 Census Advisory Committee Members Appointed

On Tuesday, March 26 the U.S. Census Bureau appointed members to the newly established 2030 Census Advisory Committee. Read the press release below. MARCH 26, 2024 — The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the appointment of 23 members to its new 2030 Census Advisory Committee (2030 CAC). The 2030 CAC members, who represent various stakeholder organizations, groups, interests and viewpoints, have extensive census and survey experience. Under its charter, the 2030 CAC will assist the Census Bureau in devising strategies to increase awareness of and participation in the next decennial census, reduce barriers to response and enhance the public’s trust and willingness to respond.…
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CA League of Women Voters and Common Cause Release Report & Recommendations for 2030 Redistricting Commission

CA League of Women Voters and Common Cause Release Report & Recommendations for 2030 Redistricting Commission

The California League of Women Voters and Common Cause CA released a report recently summarizing the 2020 redistricting process with reform recommendations for the 2030 commission. Key recommendations include: Redistricting bodies should continue to use live line-drawing, stream public meetings, and facilitate remote participation when feasible to enhance transparency During the line-drawing process, prioritizing those areas of the state that involve complex Voting Rights Act analysis and compliance with communities of interest requirements. Codifying protections against minority vote dilution into state law to protect the rights of voters of color. The law should take into consideration the state’s multi-ethnic and…
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Census Bureau Releases Summary File for 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics

Census Bureau Releases Summary File for 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics

The U.S. Census Bureau yesterday released a set of summary file tables in response to data users’ requests for another way to download data in bulk from the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) that was released on September 21, 2023. The Detailed DHC-A Summary File provides the most comprehensive detail on race, ethnicity and tribes among all 2020 Census data products. It contains data on population size and, for groups that meet specified population thresholds, sex-by-age counts for detailed race and ethnicity groups and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages. The summary…
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Watch: Former Chief Senate Legal Counsel Discusses the Status of Ohio’s Redistricting Map Saga on “The State of Ohio” Program

Watch: Former Chief Senate Legal Counsel Discusses the Status of Ohio’s Redistricting Map Saga on “The State of Ohio” Program

Last Friday, The State of Ohio weekly news program discussed gerrymandering reform and the status of redistricting maps in the State with Frank Strigari, former Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Senate. The discussion starts at 6:44. Find us on:
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Civil Rights Organizations File Amicus Brief in South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case

Civil Rights Organizations File Amicus Brief in South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case

Aug. 18 2023 League of Women Voters Press Release: WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the League of Women Voters of the United States joined an amicus brief filed by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, a racial gerrymandering case to be heard before the Supreme Court of the United States this fall. The brief is also joined by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Leadership Conference Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Campaign Legal Center, Demos, and…
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Watch: George Wash. University’s Peyton McCrary Discusses Voting Rights, Alabama, and SCOTUS on C-SPAN

Watch: George Wash. University’s Peyton McCrary Discusses Voting Rights, Alabama, and SCOTUS on C-SPAN

From CSPAN.org's Washington Journal: Peyton McCrary on the Supreme Court and Voting RightsOn Monday, Peyton McCrary discussed the impact of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Allen v. Milligan, which upheld Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The challenge was brought by minority voters in Alabama following the redrawing of the state's congressional districts after the 2020 census. McCrary, now a professorial lecturer at George Washington University Law School, retired as a historian in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice in 2016. Since leaving government service, he has testified as an expert witness in…
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Utah Supreme Court Requests Additional Briefing in Partisan Gerrymandering Challenge

Utah Supreme Court Requests Additional Briefing in Partisan Gerrymandering Challenge

The Utah Supreme Court seemed to be grappling with the issue of the citizen's right to initiative versus the legislature's right to enact laws. After oral argument in a case alleging that the 2021 congressional district map was a partisan gerrymander, (see League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature) the question arose of whether the legislature had the right to repeal a statute with anti-gerrymandering provisions (Proposition 4) - which it did in 2020. In October of last year, the trial court dismissed the claims regarding the Utah Legislature’s repeal of Proposition 4 but allowed the League's…
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