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

By EditorMay 03, 2024
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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Justice Department Launches Updated Voting Rights and Elections Website

Justice Department Launches Updated Voting Rights and Elections Website

By EditorApr 22, 2024
Press Release: April 18, 2024 New and Updated Voting Rights Resources for Voters and Election Officials Released The Justice Department announced today that it has updated www.justice.gov/voting, a one-stop resource providing voting and elections information for voters as well as state and local elections officials. As part of the update, the Civil Rights Division published two new informational guides on voting rights and updated five other guides. The Department’s longstanding practice is to update resources and provide information in election years on the efforts of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country,…
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New 2030 Census Advisory Committee Members Appointed

New 2030 Census Advisory Committee Members Appointed

By EditorApr 04, 2024
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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Redistricting Update. Week of February 11, 2024: News from FL, NY, NC, WA, and WI.

Redistricting Update. Week of February 11, 2024: News from FL, NY, NC, WA, and WI.

By EditorFeb 19, 2024
Redistricting developments in the states for the week of February 11, 2024. Click on the state button for more news and media. Florida Florida officials, legislators fight speeding up redistricting case New York New House lines approved in New York. What would change. North Carolina Redistricting plaintiffs oppose consolidation of two federal cases Washington What we can learn from Washington’s independent redistricting commission Wisconsin Wisconsin Legislature passes Democratic governor’s redistricting maps Find us on: This is some text Hey look. More text! Find us on:
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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

By EditorJan 17, 2024
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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Civil Rights Organizations File Amicus Brief in South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case

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

By EditorAug 22, 2023
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

By EditorAug 22, 2023
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…
Redistricting Litigation, Voting Rights Act, , , , , , , , ,
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Update: Status of New Hampshire Redistricting Litigation(July 2023)

Update: Status of New Hampshire Redistricting Litigation(July 2023)

By EditorJul 21, 2023
New Hampshire reportedly was the last state to complete redistricting for the 2020 cycle after the legislature and governor failed to agree on a map. The political struggles surrounding the enactment of a congressional map have given way to legal challenges against the state senate and house maps. Details below. Congressional Map The New Hampshire State Supreme Court took jurisdiction in case of an impasse over the congressional map in April of 2022. (Norelli v. Scanlan) The legislature presented two maps to the governor - one in March and another in May - both of which the governor announced his…
Case Updates, LAW, NEWS, Partisan Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, Redistricting Litigation, State Laws, , ,
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Census Bureau Releases 2020 Census Results of Racial Identification for the Self-Reported Hispanic or Latino Population

Census Bureau Releases 2020 Census Results of Racial Identification for the Self-Reported Hispanic or Latino Population

By EditorMar 28, 2023
News Release — Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released results showing how people who identify as being of Hispanic or Latino origin (referred to as the Hispanic population) self-reported their race in the 2020 Census. The nonresponse rate to the race question for the Hispanic population decreased from 13.0% in 2010 to 8.1% in 2020, but there were major shifts in race reporting within the Hispanic population compared to the 2010 Census. The data show that the Hispanic population reporting one race decreased from over 81.6% in 2010 to less than 57.8% in 2020. Meanwhile, over one-third of the Hispanic population reported two or…
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Study: Partisan and Racial Representation Outcomes in the 2020 Redistricting Cycle

Study: Partisan and Racial Representation Outcomes in the 2020 Redistricting Cycle

By EditorOct 10, 2022
A recent article published in Publius: The Journal of Federalism, explores and measures partisan fairness, competitiveness, and minority representation in newly enacted redistricting maps across the states. A summary of the results is below. Read the article here. Christopher Warshaw (George Wash. Univ.), Eric McGhee, (Public Policy Institute of California) and Michal Migurski (Planscore.org, USA) are coauthors of this study and they describe their findings with this statement in their abstract: "We find that both parties have enacted increasingly extreme partisan gerrymanders when they control the redistricting process. The combination of Republicans’ control of the redistricting process in far more…
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