8th Circuit Court Upholds Limitations on Voting Rights Act

Decision prevents private groups from suing under key section, potentially setting stage for Supreme Court battle.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reconsider its decision that prevents private groups from suing under a key section of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling that civil rights groups say erodes the law aimed at prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.
The court's decision upholds a previous ruling that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires political maps to include districts where minority populations’ preferred candidates can win elections.
The decision applies only to federal courts covered by the district, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the groups in the case, said it was “exploring all available options” but did not say whether it planned to take the case to the Supreme Court.
The Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP, which are challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts under the law, argue that the ruling would upend decades of precedent and remove a key tool for voters to stand up for their rights.