Eighth Circuit Archives | American Democracy Minute

Federal 5th Circuit Refuses Challenge to ‘Private Right of Action’ – For Now. It’s the New Battleground to Dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act

June 27, 2024June 27, 2024

A 2023 decision in an Arkansas redistricting case found individual voters did not have a “private right of action” to challenge the maps. The State of Louisiana tried the same tactic in its chaotic gerrymandering case, but was refused on June 24th. It appears to be the latest legal strategy to dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Federal Appeals Court Denies Rehearing of Radical Arkansas Voting Rights Act Ruling Shutting Out Voters & Democracy Groups from Bringing Cases

January 31, 2024January 31, 2024

In Nov. 2023, an 8th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s radical ruling that Arkansas voters did not have the right to sue under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Despite being widely panned as a fringe ruling, the 8th Circuit refused to re-hear the case January 30th.

Ripple Effects After Radical Federal 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling Restricting Who Can Bring Voting Rights Act Suits; Red State AGs Pile On

December 14, 2023December 17, 2023

We reported in November on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision restricting lawsuits based on the 1965 Voting Rights Act to be filed ONLY by the U.S. Attorney General, seen by most court watchers as radical and ignoring precedent. But it’s already having ripple effects across the nation.

Radical Decision by Appeals Court in Arkansas Case Greenlights North Dakota Appeal to Restore Maps Designed to Suppress Native American Voting Power

November 27, 2023November 28, 2023

A radical decision last week in an Arkansas racial gerrymandering case stopped voters and democracy groups from suing under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The State of North Dakota took advantage of the decision to appeal to have their racially discriminating gerrymandered maps restored, struck down after a lower court found they suppressed Native American voting power.

Radical Federal Court of Appeals Ruling Deals Another Blow to Voters, Democracy Groups and the Voting Rights Act

November 21, 2023November 21, 2023

A Nov. 20th federal appeals court decision ruled that only the U.S. Attorney General can bring a voting rights lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act. The decision, a radical departure from settled law, erects barriers to minority voters seeking fairness in federal court.