Equal Protection Clause Archives | American Democracy Minute

Majority-Minority Voting Districts Give Minority Voters a Fair Chance to Elect Proper Representation. The Equal Protection Clause is Now Being Used to Try to End Them

January 28, 2025January 28, 2025

There are 141 majority-minority congressional voting districts in the U.S., out of 435. A new conservative legal tactic has emerged, arguing such districts harm White Americans, and citingthe Equal Protection Clause, originally passed to end state discrimination against Black Americans.

What is the Equal Protections Clause and How Have Interpretations of It Changed?

January 27, 2025January 27, 2025

The Equal Protection Clause, embedded in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, is now being used to dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act, opening the door to even more voter suppression. What’s its history, and why is it being used now?

ND Native American Nation Prevails in Protecting Majority-Minority Voting Districts. A Victory for Minority Voters, But GOP Efforts to Neutralize the VRA Continue

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025

Native American voters prevailed in federal court against the State of North Dakota, protecting the ability to elect the candidate of their choice. The state has a history of diluting Native voting power.

Betrayed by State Officials, North Dakota Native Americans Forced to Again Fight for the Right to Choose Their Own State Representation

May 8, 2024May 8, 2024

In 2021, Native Americans nations negotiated with the State of North Dakota to create majority minority state House districts under the Voting Rights Act, and together defended it in federal court. NOW the State is welching on the deal and joining the GOP plaintiffs in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision.

ADM for August 23, 2022: North Carolina Supreme Court May Invalidate Constitutional Amendment Proposed by Gerrymandered Legislature

August 22, 2022August 22, 2022

Here’s a fascinating case from North Carolina that you’ll hear more about in the mainstream press in the next few days. The North Carolina Supreme Court has conditionally ruled that because the state’s legislature was elected with gerrymandered voting maps, state constitutional amendments enacted in 2018 may be invalid.