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. Griffen wrote that doing so would “all but ensure that the challenged provisions would be in place during the May primary election, thereby violating the constitutional rights of thousands of Arkansas voters.” Rutledge’s office said the attorney general would ask the state Supreme Court to stay the judge’s injunction against the four laws. “Judge Griffen — once again — entered an erroneous decision that does not prioritize the integrity of the quickly approaching election or Arkansans’ fundamental right to vote,” Amanda Priest, spokeswoman for Rutledge’s office, said in a statement.

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History of this topic

Arkansas Supreme Court rejects bid to put abortion on the ballot
4 months ago

Arkansas Supreme Court rejects bid to put abortion on the ballot

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a 4-3 ruling, the majority of the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Arkansas judge finds 4 new voting laws unconstitutional
2 years, 9 months ago

Arkansas judge finds 4 new voting laws unconstitutional

Associated Press  

— An Arkansas judge on Friday struck down four new voting restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers, finding the measures unconstitutional. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen issued a permanent injunction against the new voting laws at the end of a four-day trial in a challenge brought by the League of Women Voters of Arkansas, Arkansas United and five voters over …

Groups appeal dismissal of Arkansas redistricting case
2 years, 10 months ago

Groups appeal dismissal of Arkansas redistricting case

Associated Press  

— The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday appealed a judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit that claims Arkansas’ new state House districts dilute the influence of Black voters in the state. The ACLU filed the appeal on behalf of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, which had sued challenging the state’s redistricting …

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 …

Judge to toss Arkansas redistricting case unless DOJ joins
2 years, 10 months ago

Judge to toss Arkansas redistricting case unless DOJ joins

Associated Press  

— A federal judge said Thursday he’s dismissing a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts as diluting the influence of Black voters, unless the Justice Department joins the case as a plaintiff. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky said there’s “a strong merits case that at least some of the challenged districts” in the lawsuit by two groups violate the …

Lawsuit challenges new Arkansas voting restrictions
3 years, 7 months ago

Lawsuit challenges new Arkansas voting restrictions

Associated Press  

— Two groups are asking an Arkansas judge to strike down several voting restrictions enacted this year that they say are unconstitutional and will disenfranchise the state’s voters. The League of Women Voters of Arkansas and Arkansas United filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the four election measures approved by the Republican Legislature and governor. An historic number of voting restrictions …

Arkansas Senate removes affidavit option from voter ID law
3 years, 10 months ago

Arkansas Senate removes affidavit option from voter ID law

Associated Press  

— The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to legislation making the state’s voter ID law stricter by no longer allowing people without identification to cast a ballot if they sign a statement affirming their identity. Under the state’s current law, a voter who doesn’t present photo identification but signs a statement can cast a provisional ballot that will …

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