Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say
5 months ago

Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say

Associated Press  

— Mississippi can wait until next year to redraw some of its legislative districts to replace ones where Black voting power is currently diluted, three federal judges said Thursday. Attorneys for the NAACP, who sued the state, argued it’s important to redraw districts quickly because having special elections next year would create burdens for election administrators and cause confusion for voters. The judges ordered legislators to draw majority-Black Senate districts in and around DeSoto County in the northwestern corner of the state and in and around Hattiesburg in the south, and a new majority-Black House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties in the northeastern part of the state. Historical voting patterns in Mississippi show that districts with higher populations of white residents tend to lean toward Republicans and that districts with higher populations of Black residents tend to lean toward Democrats.

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History of this topic

Trial starts in case that seeks more Black justices on Mississippi’s highest court
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Trial starts in case that seeks more Black justices on Mississippi’s highest court

Associated Press  

— Mississippi has the largest percentage of Black residents in the U.S., but only one Black justice serves on the state’s highest court. A federal judge started hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit that seeks to compel Mississippi to redraw its three Supreme Court districts to increase the chances of Black candidates being elected. “The reason for this persistent underrepresentation …

A federal court approves new Michigan state Senate seats for Detroit-area districts
4 months, 3 weeks ago

A federal court approves new Michigan state Senate seats for Detroit-area districts

Associated Press  

Lansing — Federal judges gave final approval to a new map of Michigan state Legislature boundaries, concluding a case in which the court previously found that several Detroit-area districts’ maps were illegally influenced by race. In December, the court ordered a redistricting commission responsible for redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional maps in 2021 to redraw 13 state districts. The …

Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say
5 months ago

Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say

Hindustan Times  

— Mississippi can wait until next year to redraw some of its legislative districts to replace ones where Black voting power is currently diluted, three federal judges said Thursday. Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say The decision updates a timeline from the judges, who issued a ruling July 2 that found problems …

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys
5 months, 1 week ago

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys

Hindustan Times  

— Mississippi should work quickly to fulfill the court-ordered redrawing of some legislative districts to ensure more equitable representation for Black residents, attorneys for voting rights groups said in a new court filing Friday. Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys The attorneys also said it's important to hold special elections in the reconfigured state …

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys
5 months, 1 week ago

Mississippi must move quickly on a court-ordered redistricting, say voting rights attorneys

Associated Press  

— Mississippi should work quickly to fulfill the court-ordered redrawing of some legislative districts to ensure more equitable representation for Black residents, attorneys for voting rights groups said in a new court filing Friday. The attorneys also said it’s important to hold special elections in the reconfigured state House and Senate districts on Nov. 5 — the same day as …

Mississippi election officials argue against quick work on drawing new majority-Black districts
5 months, 1 week ago

Mississippi election officials argue against quick work on drawing new majority-Black districts

Associated Press  

— Redrawing some Mississippi legislative districts in time for this November’s election is impossible because of tight deadlines to prepare ballots, state officials say in new court papers. Attorneys for the all-Republican state Board of Election Commissioners filed arguments Wednesday in response to a July 2 ruling by three federal judges who ordered the Mississippi House and Senate to reconfigure …

Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say

LA Times  

Mississippi lawmakers review an alternate redistricting map at the state Capitol in Jackson in 2022. Three federal judges are telling Mississippi to redraw some of its legislative districts, saying the current ones dilute the power of Black voters in three parts of the state. Mississippi’s new legislative districts were used when all of the state House and Senate seats were …

Judges Reject Map That Would Have Given Louisiana New Majority-Black House District
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Judges Reject Map That Would Have Given Louisiana New Majority-Black House District

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING NEW ORLEANS — A new congressional district map giving Louisiana a second majority-Black House district was rejected Tuesday by a panel of three federal judges, fueling new uncertainty about district boundaries as the state prepares for fall congressional elections. Polling takes place at the Martin Luther King Elementary School in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans …

Louisiana won’t immediately get a new majority-Black House district after judges reject it
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Louisiana won’t immediately get a new majority-Black House district after judges reject it

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — A new congressional map giving Louisiana a second majority-Black House district was rejected Tuesday by a panel of three federal judges, fueling new uncertainty about district boundaries as the state prepares for fall congressional elections. Jeff Landry and Murrill had backed the new map in a January legislative session after a different federal judge threw out a …

New Black congressional district in Louisiana bows to politics, not race, backers say
8 months ago

New Black congressional district in Louisiana bows to politics, not race, backers say

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — Politics and race are both factors in a pending court challenge of Louisiana’s new congressional maps. The map creates a new mostly Black congressional district in Louisiana, at the expense of a white Republican incumbent, Rep. Garret Graves, who backed another Republican in the governor’s election last fall. Twelve self-described non-African American voters argued in a lawsuit …

Attorneys argue over whether Mississippi legislative maps dilute Black voting power
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Attorneys argue over whether Mississippi legislative maps dilute Black voting power

Hindustan Times  

— Mississippi legislators diluted the power of Black voters by drawing too few majority-Black state House and Senate districts after the most recent Census, an attorney representing the NAACP and several residents told three federal judges Monday. HT Image But during opening arguments in a trial of the redistricting case, an attorney representing state officials told the judges that race …

Attorneys argue over whether Mississippi legislative maps dilute Black voting power
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Attorneys argue over whether Mississippi legislative maps dilute Black voting power

Associated Press  

— Mississippi legislators diluted the power of Black voters by drawing too few majority-Black state House and Senate districts after the most recent Census, an attorney representing the NAACP and several residents told three federal judges Monday. But during opening arguments in a trial of the redistricting case, an attorney representing state officials told the judges that race was not …

Judge: Louisiana legislative districts dilute Black voting strength, violate the Voting Rights Act
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Judge: Louisiana legislative districts dilute Black voting strength, violate the Voting Rights Act

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — New state House and Senate boundary lines drawn up by the Louisiana Legislature in 2022 dilute Black voting strength in violation of the U.S. Voting Rights Act, a federal judge in Baton Rouge ruled Thursday. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick’s ruling blocked the use of the House and Senate district maps in future elections and gave the …

A lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district
10 months, 3 weeks ago

A lawsuit seeks to block Louisiana’s new congressional map that has 2nd mostly Black district

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Legislature’s redrawn congressional map giving the state a second mostly Black district is being challenged by 12 self-described “non-African American” voters in a new lawsuit. The challenge filed Wednesday and assigned to a judge in Lafayette says the map, which Republican lawmakers agreed to as a result of a 2022 federal lawsuit filed in Baton …

New North Carolina state Senate districts remain in place as judge refuses to block their use
10 months, 3 weeks ago

New North Carolina state Senate districts remain in place as judge refuses to block their use

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — A judge refused Friday to prevent the use of two North Carolina Senate districts drawn by Republican legislators starting with the 2024 elections and to order them replaced with boundaries that lawsuit plaintiffs argue would more likely ensure Black voters can elect a preferred candidate in one of them. U.S. District Judge James Dever denied a preliminary …

Federal judge accepts redrawn Georgia congressional and legislative districts that will favor GOP
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal judge accepts redrawn Georgia congressional and legislative districts that will favor GOP

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A federal judge on Thursday accepted new Georgia congressional and legislative voting districts that protect Republican partisan advantages, saying the creation of new majority-Black voting districts solved the illegal minority vote dilution that led him to order maps to be redrawn. McBath said in a statement that she wouldn’t “allow an extremist few Republicans” to “decide when my …

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims
1 year ago

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims

Associated Press  

N.C. — North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court on Monday seeking to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by Republican state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in central North Carolina challenges four districts where the plaintiffs contend GOP leaders …

Georgia Senate Republicans propose map with 2 new Black-majority districts
1 year ago

Georgia Senate Republicans propose map with 2 new Black-majority districts

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia Senate Republicans are proposing a new map that would create two Black-majority voting districts, but would probably retain Republicans’ 33-23 edge in the General Assembly’s upper chamber, in an effort to fix a map a judge said illegally dilutes Black votes. A special session on redrawing state legislative and congressional districts is scheduled to begin Wednesday after …

Louisiana lawmakers have until Jan. 15 to enact new congressional map, court says
1 year, 1 month ago

Louisiana lawmakers have until Jan. 15 to enact new congressional map, court says

Associated Press  

— The Louisiana Legislature has until Jan. 15 to enact a new congressional map after a lower court last year ruled that the current political boundaries dilute the power of the state’s Black voters, a federal New Orleans appeals court said Friday. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick said in her ruling that “evidence of Louisiana’s long and ongoing history of …

Georgia says it will appeal a judge’s redistricting decision but won’t seek to pause ruling for now
1 year, 1 month ago

Georgia says it will appeal a judge’s redistricting decision but won’t seek to pause ruling for now

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Georgia says it will appeal a judge’s order to redraw some congressional and state legislative districts, but that it won’t fight in court to pause the order for now, meaning a special session later this month to draw new lines is likely to proceed. A federal judge ruled last week that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and …

Judge says Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are discriminatory and must be redrawn
1 year, 1 month ago

Judge says Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are discriminatory and must be redrawn

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled Thursday that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in a 516-page order, also ordered the state to draw two new Black-majority districts in Georgia’s 56-member state Senate and …

The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana
1 year, 2 months ago

The Supreme Court refuses to speed the drawing of a new congressional map in Louisiana

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal from Black voters in Louisiana to speed the process of drawing new congressional districts in the state. The appeals court said U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick was moving too fast and must give the state more time to consider a new map. Civil rights groups had hoped a new …

Black voting power gets boost in Alabama as new US House districts chosen by federal judges
1 year, 2 months ago

Black voting power gets boost in Alabama as new US House districts chosen by federal judges

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Federal judges on Thursday selected new congressional lines for Alabama to give the Deep South state a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate. The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the three-judge panel’s finding that Alabama’s prior map — with one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is …

Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districts
1 year, 2 months ago

Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districts

Associated Press  

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A federal judge said Tuesday that the court will soon adopt new congressional districts for Alabama, choosing among proposals aimed at giving Black voters a greater opportunity to influence election outcomes in the Deep South state. The panel is stepping in to adopt new district boundaries after ruling that the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature failed to remedy a …

Court appointee proposes Alabama congressional districts to provide representation to Black voters
1 year, 2 months ago

Court appointee proposes Alabama congressional districts to provide representation to Black voters

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A court-appointed special master on Monday submitted three proposals for new congressional districts in Alabama as federal judges oversee the drawing of new lines to provide greater representation for Black voters. Richard Allen, the court-appointed special master, wrote that all three proposals follow the court’s instruction to create a second district in the state where Black voters …

Supreme Court to decide whether Alabama can postpone drawing new congressional districts
1 year, 3 months ago

Supreme Court to decide whether Alabama can postpone drawing new congressional districts

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on Alabama’s request to let it keep new GOP-drawn congressional lines in place as it fights a three-judge panel’s plan to create a second majority-Black district, or something close to it, in the Deep South state. The state attorney general and lawyers representing Black voters who challenged the …

A Georgia trial arguing redistricting harmed Black voters could decide control of a US House seat
1 year, 3 months ago

A Georgia trial arguing redistricting harmed Black voters could decide control of a US House seat

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Democrats could gain a seat in the U.S. House and multiple seats in Georgia’s Legislature if a judge rules Republicans drew maps illegally weakening Black voters’ power. Court cases challenging district lines drawn after the 2020 Census could shape 2024 congressional elections in states beyond Alabama and Georgia, including Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas. “Despite these striking …

Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama’s new congressional map
1 year, 4 months ago

Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama’s new congressional map

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Voting rights activists are returning to court to fight Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans failed to follow federal court orders to create a district that is fair to Black voters. A special three-judge panel in 2022 blocked use of the the state’s existing districts and said any new congressional map should include two districts where …

The fight over Alabama’s congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court
1 year, 5 months ago

The fight over Alabama’s congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Standing at an Alabama Statehouse microphone before lawmakers voted on new congressional districts, state Rep. Chris England said that change in the Deep South state has often happened only through federal court order. The fight over whether Alabama’s congressional map complies with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 now shifts back to federal court as state Republicans …

Alabama GOP accused of ripping off Black voters with new congressional map
1 year, 5 months ago

Alabama GOP accused of ripping off Black voters with new congressional map

Raw Story  

Republicans in Alabama have passed a new congressional map that is reportedly being criticized for defying U.S. Supreme Court precedent created to protect minority voters. "Civil rights groups have already vowed to challenge the new map in court, a month after the Supreme Court ruled that the state's previous district lines marginalized the state's sizable Black population in violation of …

Judge refuses to toss discrimination lawsuits over Georgia voting districts
1 year, 5 months ago

Judge refuses to toss discrimination lawsuits over Georgia voting districts

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — A judge has refused to dismiss lawsuits alleging Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts illegally discriminate against Black voters. The orders apply to three cases, one challenging the lines of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts and two challenging the lines of the 56 state Senate and 180 state House districts. In the state legislative cases, the challengers argue a map …

Mississippi justices hear arguments over appointed vs. elected judges in majority-Black capital
1 year, 5 months ago

Mississippi justices hear arguments over appointed vs. elected judges in majority-Black capital

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday about a state law that has sparked a monthslong dispute over whether white state officials are stomping on local self-governance in the state’s majority-Black capital city, Jackson. Solicitor General Scott G. Stewart of the Mississippi attorney general’s office said legislators acted properly when they created a new court with one appointed judge …

Supreme Court unfreezes Louisiana redistricting case that could boost Black voting power before 2024
1 year, 5 months ago

Supreme Court unfreezes Louisiana redistricting case that could boost Black voting power before 2024

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its hold on a Louisiana political remap case, increasing the likelihood that the Republican-dominated state will have to redraw boundary lines to create a second mostly Black congressional district. “What this does is it puts us back on track to realize a second majority-minority district.” In a written statement, the Louisiana Legislative …

New voting districts could change again in some states before the 2024 elections
1 year, 6 months ago

New voting districts could change again in some states before the 2024 elections

Associated Press  

The 2022 elections marked the first using new voting districts drawn from updated census data. RACE IN REDISTRICTING The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that Alabama’s congressional districts likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the political power of Black voters. It ordered a lower court to impose new U.S. House and state …

NAACP sues Mississippi over legislative redistricting plan
2 years ago

NAACP sues Mississippi over legislative redistricting plan

Associated Press  

— Mississippi is perpetuating a legacy of racial discrimination because lawmakers failed to draw enough majority-Black districts for the state House and Senate, civil rights advocates say in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The suit says redistricting plans for the 122-member House and the 52-member Senate will dilute the voting power of Black people in a state with the largest percentage …

Justices nix 2nd mostly Black district in Louisiana for 2022
2 years, 5 months ago

Justices nix 2nd mostly Black district in Louisiana for 2022

Associated Press  

BATON ROUGE — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday put on hold a lower court ruling that Louisiana must draw new congressional districts before the 2022 elections to increase Black voting power. With the three liberal justices dissenting, the high court short-circuited the earlier order from U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick to create a second majority Black congressional district in …

Judge denies extension for Louisiana redistricting deadline
2 years, 6 months ago

Judge denies extension for Louisiana redistricting deadline

Associated Press  

BATON ROUGE — A request by Louisiana legislative leaders to extend the deadline of completing a new congressional map — that must include a second majority-Black district — was rejected by a federal judge Thursday. Dick additionally described the efforts by House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, on the first day of the six-day special session, as “disingenuous” and “insincere.” “With five …

Legislators ask more time to comply with redistricting order
2 years, 6 months ago

Legislators ask more time to comply with redistricting order

Associated Press  

Louisiana’s legislative leaders are asking for at least 10 more days to comply with a federal judge’s order to redraw congressional districts so two have Black majorities. Also Tuesday, a federal appeals court scheduled arguments July 8 about Judge Shelly Dick’s ruling that the current districts violate the Voting Rights Act. “There are 144 legislators in the State Legislature, and …

Judge blocks Louisiana Congress map with one Black district
2 years, 6 months ago

Judge blocks Louisiana Congress map with one Black district

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s Democratic governor said Monday he will call the Republican-dominated Legislature into special session soon to draw up new congressional district boundaries, now that a federal judge has blocked use of maps that have only one majority-Black district. He spoke to reporters minutes after the 2022 regular legislative session ended, and a few hours after U.S. District …

Suit: Mississippi high court districts dilute Black voting
2 years, 7 months ago

Suit: Mississippi high court districts dilute Black voting

Associated Press  

— Mississippi needs to update its state Supreme Court districts to ensure Black voters have a chance to elect a candidate of their choice in a state with a history of racially polarized voting, Black plaintiffs said in a lawsuit filed Monday. Mississippi’s three Supreme Court districts are all majority-white, and they were last updated in 1987 over the objection …

Mississippi House and Senate OK each other’s redistricting
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi House and Senate OK each other’s redistricting

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi House and Senate on Thursday approved each other’s redistricting plans that are likely to maintain Republican majorities in each chamber. The 122 House districts and 52 Senate districts are updated each decade to account for population changes shown by the Census. Two House districts in areas with stagnant population in north Mississippi are being moved to areas …

Mississippi House, Senate pass separate redistricting plans
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi House, Senate pass separate redistricting plans

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi House and Senate voted by wide margins Tuesday to approve separate plans to redraw legislative districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census. “The proposed maps vastly underrepresent Mississippi’s Black population and, we fear, are drawn to dilute Black voting strength,” the ACLU said in a statement. One of Sojourner’s allies, Republican Sen. Chris …

Mississippi reveals redistricting for state House and Senate
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi reveals redistricting for state House and Senate

Associated Press  

— Mississippi legislators on Sunday unveiled plans to redraw the state House and Senate districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census. Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said Sunday that the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now. Historical voting patterns in Mississippi show districts with higher …

Mississippi remapping diminishes Black voices, NAACP says
2 years, 9 months ago

Mississippi remapping diminishes Black voices, NAACP says

Associated Press  

— Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters’ influence in the state’s three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court papers. Attorneys for the NAACP, One Voice and Black Voters Matter argued in their Friday filing that legislators set out to draw the 2nd District with a Black voting …

House quickly kills new Black district for Supreme Court
2 years, 10 months ago

House quickly kills new Black district for Supreme Court

Associated Press  

— A bill to give Louisiana a second majority-Black Supreme Court district was killed on the House floor Wednesday when an opponent used a parliamentary move to abruptly cut off debate, angering the measure’s Republican sponsor. Ivey, who is white, has joined fellow Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature in opposing efforts to create a second majority-minority congressional district in Louisiana. …

Alabama’s new congressional districts map blocked by judges
2 years, 10 months ago

Alabama’s new congressional districts map blocked by judges

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Federal judges on Monday blocked Alabama from using newly drawn congressional districts in upcoming elections, ruling that the state should have two districts — instead of one — in which Black voters are a sizeable portion of the electorate. “Black voters have less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect candidates of their choice to Congress,” the three-judge …

Lawsuit challenges new Alabama congressional districts
3 years, 1 month ago

Lawsuit challenges new Alabama congressional districts

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Two lawsuits are challenging Alabama’s newly approved congressional map, arguing it unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of African Americans with one majority-minority district out of seven. A lawsuit backed by an organization aligned with a Democratic group says the plan violates the Voting Rights Act “because it strategically cracks and packs Alabama’s Black communities, diluting Black voting …

EXPLAINER: Arkansas lawmakers to redraw US House districts
3 years, 2 months ago

EXPLAINER: Arkansas lawmakers to redraw US House districts

Associated Press  

— Arkansas’ majority Republican Legislature is meeting this week to redraw the state’s four U.S. House districts, a task that has generated plenty of ideas but little consensus so far on how to do it. Republican Sen. Jason Rapert, who chairs the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he sees support building on his panel for one proposal …

Lawsuit: Alabama congressional map ‘racially gerrymandered’
3 years, 2 months ago

Lawsuit: Alabama congressional map ‘racially gerrymandered’

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A lawsuit filed Tuesday as lawmakers get set to draw Alabama’s new congressional map is challenging the state’s current congressional districts, saying they are “racially gerrymandered” and limit Black voters’ influence in all but one congressional district. The lawsuit argues Alabama should have a congressional map that would “afford African Americans an opportunity to elect candidates of …

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