Federal judge dismisses Arkansas redistricting lawsuit
2 years, 10 months ago

Federal judge dismisses Arkansas redistricting lawsuit

Associated Press  

— A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts after the Justice Department declined to intervene in the case. In last week’s decision, Rudofsky said groups challenging the state’s new House boundaries had a “strong merits case” but ruled that private groups couldn’t sue to claim violations of the federal Voting Rights Act. The Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP had filed a lawsuit challenging the new lines for the state’s 100 House districts and sought a preliminary inunction blocking them. “The DOJ correctly noted that private parties have always been able to enforce section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,” said Holly Dickson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, which represented the groups challenging the redistricting plan.

State House Arkansas Doj Judge Dismisses  redistricting  districts  doj  judge  dismisses  private  plan  states  challenging  rudofsky  federal  lawsuit  groups  arkansas  state

History of this topic

Lawsuit filed over Arkansas Republican officials blocking effort to close state GOP primary
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Lawsuit filed over Arkansas Republican officials blocking effort to close state GOP primary

Associated Press  

— Supporters of an effort to make Arkansas’ GOP primaries open only to registered Republicans have filed a lawsuit over state party officials blocking that proposal. The lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday stems from delegates at the state Republican Party convention voting to allow only registered GOP voters to participate in the party’s primary. The lawsuit filed by …

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 …

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling
6 months, 3 weeks ago

US Supreme Court sends Arkansas redistricting case back to judges after South Carolina ruling

Associated Press  

The Supreme Court on Monday sent a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ 2021 U.S. House map back to a three-judge panel, ordering it to review the suit in light of the high court’s decision against similar claims of bias in a redistricting case from South Carolina. A three-judge panel last year dismissed the suit, which claimed the redrawn map violated the U.S. …

Arkansas Supreme Court upholds 2021 voting restrictions that state judge found unconstitutional
7 months, 1 week ago

Arkansas Supreme Court upholds 2021 voting restrictions that state judge found unconstitutional

Associated Press  

— The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld four voting restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021 that were struck down by a state judge as unconstitutional. The court had earlier stayed the judge’s decision in the case, so the restrictions were still in effect before Thursday’s ruling “We hold that the Acts are not clearly incompatible with the sections …

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 …

Wisconsin Republicans urge state Supreme Court to reject redistricting report’s findings
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Wisconsin Republicans urge state Supreme Court to reject redistricting report’s findings

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans urged the state Supreme Court on Thursday to ignore a report from redistricting consultants that determined GOP-proposed legislative maps were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. While Republicans argue that the consultants’ findings are unsound, Democrats asked the court on Thursday to adopt one of their maps that the consultants found were “nearly indistinguishable.” The stakes are huge …

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 …

Federal appeals court won’t revisit ruling that limits scope of Voting Rights Act
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal appeals court won’t revisit ruling that limits scope of Voting Rights Act

Associated Press  

— A federal appeals court on Tuesday declined to reconsider its decision that would prevent private groups from suing under a key section of the Voting Rights Act, prompting a potential fight before the U.S. Supreme Court over a ruling that civil rights groups say erodes the law aimed at prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. Circuit Court of Appeals after …

A federal court declines to revisit a ruling that could weaken the Voting Rights Act
10 months, 3 weeks ago

A federal court declines to revisit a ruling that could weaken the Voting Rights Act

NPR  

A federal court declines to revisit a ruling that could weaken the Voting Rights Act Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images A federal appeals court has denied a request to revisit a ruling that could undermine a key tool for enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in the election process. It's the …

GOP lawmakers ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider redistricting ruling, schedule for new maps
11 months, 3 weeks ago

GOP lawmakers ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider redistricting ruling, schedule for new maps

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republican lawmakers have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to stay and reconsider its finding that the state’s legislative district boundaries are unconstitutional. Attorneys representing a host of Republican state Senators filed a motion with the court Thursday saying they can’t meet the court’s Jan. 12 deadline for new maps. The court ordered the Legislature and other parties …

Plaintiffs in a Georgia redistricting case are asking a judge to reject new Republican-proposed maps
1 year ago

Plaintiffs in a Georgia redistricting case are asking a judge to reject new Republican-proposed maps

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — The people who sued to overturn Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts on Tuesday attacked plans that Republican state lawmakers claim cure illegal dilution of Black votes while preserving GOP power, calling them a “mockery” of federal law and a “total failure of compliance.” The three sets of plaintiffs in the case filed briefs with the federal judge …

Groups want full federal appeals court to revisit ruling limiting scope of the Voting Rights Act
1 year ago

Groups want full federal appeals court to revisit ruling limiting scope of the Voting Rights Act

Associated Press  

— Progressive advocacy groups in Arkansas on Monday asked a full federal appeals court to reconsider a three-judge panel’s ruling that private groups can’t sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act. Circuit Court of Appeals after a panel ruled 2-1 last month that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights …

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 …

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 …

In a win for Black voters in redistricting case, Alabama to get new congressional lines
1 year, 2 months ago

In a win for Black voters in redistricting case, Alabama to get new congressional lines

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama is headed to the first significant revamp of its congressional map in three decades after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state’s bid to keep using a plan with a single majority-Black district. WHAT HAPPENED Justices denied Alabama’s emergency request to keep Republican-drawn congressional lines in place and stop a three-judge panel from drawing new lines …

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 Supreme Court redistricting ruling gave hope to Black voters. They’re still waiting for new maps
1 year, 3 months ago

A Supreme Court redistricting ruling gave hope to Black voters. They’re still waiting for new maps

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s decision siding with Black voters in an Alabama redistricting case gave Democrats and voting rights activists a surprising opportunity before the 2024 elections. Shawn Donahue of the State University of New York at Buffalo, an expert on voting rights and redistricting, said the Supreme Court could put a quick end to the delays and “summarily …

Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024
1 year, 3 months ago

Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024

Associated Press  

Democrats got a potential boost for the 2024 congressional elections as courts in Alabama and Florida ruled recently that Republican-led legislatures had unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents. Another trial alleging racial violations in voting districts got underway Tuesday in Georgia, where Democrats also hope to make gains, while voting rights advocates in Ohio decided to drop a …

Judges reject Alabama’s congressional lines, will draw new districts to increase Black voting power
1 year, 3 months ago

Judges reject Alabama’s congressional lines, will draw new districts to increase Black voting power

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Federal judges said Tuesday that they will draft new congressional lines for Alabama after lawmakers refused to create a second district where Black voters at least came close to comprising a majority, as suggested by the court. In blocking the newly drawn congressional map, the three-judge panel wrote that they are “deeply troubled” that Alabama lawmakers flouted …

Deal over Florida’s redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district
1 year, 4 months ago

Deal over Florida’s redistricting plan could lead to restoration of Black-dominant district

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Voting rights groups that sued state officials over a Florida redistricting plan championed by Gov. The agreement reached late last week opens the possibility that the seat will be restored to a district dominated by Black voters, depending on how a state judge rules and whether the judge’s decision survives rounds of appeals all the way to …

Lawsuit says Tennessee’s US House and state Senate maps discriminate against communities of color
1 year, 4 months ago

Lawsuit says Tennessee’s US House and state Senate maps discriminate against communities of color

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is facing its first court challenge over a congressional redistricting map that carved up Democratic-leaning Nashville to help Republicans flip a seat in last year’s elections, a move that the plaintiffs say has unconstitutionally diluted the power of Black voters and other communities of color. By splintering Nashville into three Republican-majority districts that stretch into rural …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Arkansas Supreme Court lifts order blocking governor’s education overhaul
1 year, 6 months ago

Arkansas Supreme Court lifts order blocking governor’s education overhaul

Associated Press  

— The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked the state from enforcing Gov. In their 5-2 ruling, the court’s majority said the law’s opponents failed to prove the “irreparable harm” that would be caused if the law remained in effect. “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a huge win for parents, teachers, and most importantly …

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 …

Arkansas Supreme Court won’t lift order blocking education overhaul, will move quickly on appeal
1 year, 6 months ago

Arkansas Supreme Court won’t lift order blocking education overhaul, will move quickly on appeal

Associated Press  

— The Arkansas Supreme Court declined Friday to block a judge’s order preventing the state from enforcing Republican Gov. “We look forward to briefing the additional legal issues requested by the court, and we are grateful that the Arkansas judiciary is still strongly committed to upholding the rule of law.” Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin said he was disappointed that …

New lawsuit filed challenging Arkansas’ US House map as unconstitutional
1 year, 7 months ago

New lawsuit filed challenging Arkansas’ US House map as unconstitutional

Associated Press  

— A group of voters and a coalition of religious leaders asked a federal court on Tuesday to strike down Arkansas’ 2021 U.S. House map as unconstitutional, saying it dilutes the influence of Black voters in the Little Rock area. The lawsuit by three Pulaski County voters and the Christian Ministerial Alliance is the third that’s been filed since 2021 …

Supreme Court to review South Carolina congressional map for discrimination against Black voters
1 year, 7 months ago

Supreme Court to review South Carolina congressional map for discrimination against Black voters

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether South Carolina’s congressional districts need to be redrawn because they discriminate against Black voters. The justices said Monday they would review a lower-court ruling that found a coastal district running from Charleston to Hilton Head was intentionally redrawn to reduce the number of Democratic-leaning Black voters and to make it …

SC Republicans to appeal redistricting case to Supreme Court
1 year, 10 months ago

SC Republicans to appeal redistricting case to Supreme Court

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal appeals court has denied South Carolina Republicans’ motion for a stay in the ongoing challenge over the state’s congressional district map. If the Supreme Court takes the case and affirms the federal panel’s ruling, the state’s coastal 1st District will not be redrawn until 30 days after the high court’s final decision. After the new …

Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’
1 year, 10 months ago

Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — An advocacy group that sued over redistricting lines in North Carolina told state Supreme Court justices Monday that previous rulings that blocked legislative and congressional district maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders should be left intact. Common Cause filed a response to Republican General Assembly leaders’ request earlier this month that the state’s highest court rehear redistricting lawsuits. …

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 …

Judges toss part of suit challenging Arkansas redistricting
2 years, 2 months ago

Judges toss part of suit challenging Arkansas redistricting

Associated Press  

— A three-judge panel on Monday dismissed part of a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new U.S. House map, which split the Little Rock area among three congressional districts. The lawsuit filed by two Black Democratic lawmakers and four other residents claimed the new map violates the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act by moving 23,000 predominantly Black voters out of …

How Ron DeSantis blew up black-held congressional districts and may have broken Florida law
2 years, 2 months ago

How Ron DeSantis blew up black-held congressional districts and may have broken Florida law

Raw Story  

Ron DeSantis was incensed. Barbara Pariente, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court who retired in 2019, told ProPublica that DeSantis’ collaboration with people connected to the national GOP would constitute “significant evidence of a violation of the constitutional amendment.” “If that evidence was offered in a trial, the fact that DeSantis was getting input from someone working …

Criticism over latest NC redistricting back at Supreme Court
2 years, 2 months ago

Criticism over latest NC redistricting back at Supreme Court

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Supreme Court returned to the state’s recent divisive round of redistricting on Tuesday, as justices heard further challenges to General Assembly and congressional district lines getting used for next month’s elections. In a 4-3 decision, the court’s Democratic justices declared that partisan gerrymandering violates the state constitution and that the congressional and legislative lines approved …

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 won’t delay order for congressional remap in Louisiana
2 years, 6 months ago

Judge won’t delay order for congressional remap in Louisiana

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge in Baton Rouge refused on Thursday to delay her order for Louisiana to redraw its congressional districts while the state’s top elections official appeals. Court papers for Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin call the deadline “unworkable.” But Dick wrote that the state’s argument was “insincere and not persuasive.” The state requires seven days’ notice …

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 …

Court outlines approach if NH redistricting effort fails
2 years, 7 months ago

Court outlines approach if NH redistricting effort fails

Associated Press  

CONCORD, N.H. — The task of redrawing New Hampshire’s two congressional districts shifted to a handful of lawmakers Thursday, while the state Supreme Court outlined its approach should that effort fail. He’s also criticized a plan the House passed last week that would clump together communities along the I-93 corridor and shift more than 40% of the population into a …

Missouri faces more lawsuits over lack of redistricting map
2 years, 7 months ago

Missouri faces more lawsuits over lack of redistricting map

Associated Press  

— With the state’s Republican-led Legislature still deadlocked on redistricting, Missouri now faces lawsuits in both federal and state court asking the judiciary to intervene and order a new U.S. House map before this summer’s primary election. Republican congressional candidate Paul Berry III, who filed the latest lawsuit in federal court, said Wednesday that the continued uncertainty over Missouri’s U.S. …

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 …

Arkansas judge won’t stay ruling striking down 4 voting laws
2 years, 8 months ago

Arkansas judge won’t stay ruling striking down 4 voting laws

Associated Press  

— An Arkansas judge said Tuesday that he will not stay his decision that struck down as unconstitutional four new voting laws approved by the Republican-led Legislature last year. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen denied Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s motion for a stay of his permanent injunction earlier this month against the laws the Legislature approved last year. …

Court rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania
2 years, 9 months ago

Court rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — In a victory for Democrats, the Supreme Court has turned away efforts from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to block state court-ordered congressional districting plans. In separate orders late Monday, the justices are allowing maps selected by each state’s Supreme Court to be in effect for the 2022 elections. The justices provided no explanation for their actions, …

Washington state redistricting commission chair resigns
2 years, 9 months ago

Washington state redistricting commission chair resigns

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — The nonpartisan chair of Washington state’s redistricting commission has resigned, lashing out at Democratic leaders for refusing to defend the commission-drawn legislative maps from a legal challenge. Sarah Augustine announced her resignation Monday following the panel’s two Democratic commissioners voting against intervening in a federal lawsuit alleging the maps violate the federal Voting Rights Act, The Seattle Times …

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas congressional redistricting plan
2 years, 9 months ago

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas congressional redistricting plan

Associated Press  

— A federal lawsuit was filed Monday challenging Arkansas’ new U.S. House district lines, claiming the new boundaries violate Black voters’ rights and weaken their influence by splitting the Little Rock area among three congressional districts. The lawsuit filed by six residents, including two Black Democratic state lawmakers, said the redistricting plan approved by the majority-Republican Legislature last year violates …

Discover Related