Voting Rights Act
Black North Carolina residents sue over Senate redistricting plan
Two Black northeastern North Carolina residents are suing to invalidate the state Senate redistricting plan approved last month. The federal lawsuit filed Monday claims that the legislature ignored the history of racially polarized voting in northeastern North Carolina, federal law, and a state Supreme Court opinion to draw districts in eastern North Carolina that dilute […]
Redistricting recap: Voting has ended on NC election districts favoring the GOP
Legislators took final votes Wednesday on new election districts for Congress, the state House, and the state Senate that greatly advantage Republican candidates. The congressional plan creates 10 solid Republican districts, three strong Democratic districts, and one district that is trending Republican. First-term Democratic US Rep. Don Davis lives in that district. The existing court-ordered […]
Do new NC election district maps treat Black voters fairly? (And, what is “Gingles”?)
Redistricting debates are some of the most jargony going, with frequent talk of “VTDs,” “county groupings,” and references to various court cases. One of the terms mentioned several times a day at the North Carolina General Assembly is “Gingles.” Gingles is shorthand for a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a North Carolina redistricting lawsuit. […]
NC legislature begins voting on plans for new election districts that will expand GOP majorities
The state Senate approved new congressional district boundaries and gave a preliminary nod to a new plan for state Senate districts despite Democrats’ warnings that they would be overturned by courts. A little later Tuesday, the House approved a district plan for its chamber. All three maps lock in Republican majorities. The congressional map […]
New NC election districts that lock in Republican advantages on their way to approval
The state legislature is moving toward approving a new plan for congressional districts that will likely have North Carolina elect 10 or 11 Republicans to the U.S. House in 2024, up from seven Republicans elected last year. North Carolina’s congressional delegation of seven Republicans and seven Democrats was elected last year using a court-ordered plan […]
Plans for new NC congressional districts would elect more Republicans to Congress
North Carolina Republicans presented plans for congressional districts that would drastically change who voters elect to the US House and may help the GOP expand its veto-proof majorities in the state legislature. North Carolina voters elected seven Republicans and seven Democrats to the US House last year. Changes to district lines would mean some of […]
A panel of current and former NC judges discuss advocacy, civil rights issues
Observing past progressions can help deal with present regression, judicial experts said during a Juneteenth panel discussion at NC Central University. “The reality of it is, our system has expanded and created things that sound good on paper, look good on paper but are followed only when it is convenient to follow them,” said retired […]
U.S. Supreme Court rules Alabama’s congressional maps violate Voting Rights Act
The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that Alabama’s 2022 congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act, a ruling that preserves a major part of the Voting Rights Act and could lead to new congressional maps in Alabama. A three-judge panel in January 2022 ruled that maps approved by the Alabama Legislature […]
Literacy tests are still in the North Carolina constitution. Lawmakers want to change that.
Legislators have raised a bill that would repeal the literacy test requirement as a condition to vote in North Carolina, provided voters approve the constitutional amendment in a future election. The use of literacy tests is not enforceable because of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but they are still a part of the North […]
Alabama case that could limit Voting Rights Act heard at U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a case that challenges an Alabama redistricting map and could potentially eliminate remaining federal safeguards against racial gerrymandering. Voting rights advocates fear that the high court’s conservative majority will further weaken the Voting Rights Act, with implications for voters in states across the […]
Schumer says U.S. Senate to consider changing the filibuster if voting rights stalls
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned on Monday that the Senate is prepared to debate changes in the filibuster if Republicans continue to block the advancement of voting rights legislation. In a sternly worded letter to other senators, the New York Democrat set a deadline of Jan. 17 for the chamber to consider […]