Home : Voting Rights : Minority Voting Rights

Supreme Court Preserves Voting Rights Act Oversight Provision (06/22/2009)
WASHINGTON – In an 8-1 vote today, the Supreme Court left in place the preclearance requirements of the Voting Rights Act. Under Section 5 of the Act, jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination must obtain approval from either the Justice Department or a federal court before implementing any changes in their voting practices or procedures.

Supreme Court Hears Voting Rights Act Challenge (04/29/2009)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal today brought by a small municipal utility district in Austin, Texas challenging a key section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark federal law that ensured African-Americans and language minorities access to voting booths across the South and the nation. The challenged provision, Section 5, requires certain jurisdictions that have a history of racial discrimination in voting to obtain advance approval from the federal government before changing their election laws. The outcome of the case will have enormous implications for minority voters.

42 Florida and National Groups Sign Letter Asking Gov. Crist to Veto Anti-Voter Bills (04/22/2009)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In what is possibly the largest collection of groups to ever come together on a single matter of public policy, 42 groups today sent a letter to Governor Crist urging him to veto SB 956 and HB 7149 if they make it to his desk. The diverse assemblage is made up of local and national groups representing civil rights, voting rights, people with disabilities, human services, the elderly, gay and lesbian rights, social justice, veterans and the environment.

Judge Rules School Board Elections Violate Voting Rights Act (02/20/2009)
COLUMBIA, SC – A federal judge ruled late Thursday that the method of electing members to a South Carolina county school board resulted in unlawful racial discrimination in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The decision comes in a long-running American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit challenging Lexington County School District Three elections that dilute the minority vote. In her ruling, Judge Margaret B. Seymour of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ordered new proposals to change the election method within 60 days.

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Voting Rights Act Challenge (01/09/2009)
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court agreed today to hear an appeal brought by a small municipal utility district in Austin, Texas challenging a key section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark federal law that ensured African-Americans access to voting booths across the South. The American Civil Liberties Union represents an African-American voter who lives in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One, the jurisdiction that brought the challenge. A number of civil rights organizations are also participating in the lawsuit.

Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Mukasey - Brief (03/02/2009)

Cottier, et al. v. City of Martin - Decision (12/16/2008)

Blackmoon v. Charles Mix County - Consent Decree (12/04/2007)

Nick et al v Bethel Alaska et al Complaint (06/12/2007)
Nick et al v Bethel Alaska et al Complaint

U.S. Notice of Intervention in Large v. Freemont County (12/14/2006)

Department of Justice Letter to Charles Mix County Commission (02/11/2008)