Experts examine how Supreme Court could overhaul voting rights litigation in possible gerrymandering case
Fox News
A new voting rights case in Arkansas possibly bubbling up to the Supreme Court carries the potential to transform how voting rights are litigated across the country.
In other words, the Eighth Circuit decided that individuals or advocacy groups who believe a state is violating a voter’s rights can’t bring a lawsuit – only the federal government can do so. In the case in question, the court said a local NAACP group in Arkansas, which is suing the state over redistricting maps that the group says discriminated against Black voters, needs to convince the Justice Department to take up their case. Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
"Did Congress give private plaintiffs the ability to sue under [Section 2] of the Voting Rights Act? Text and structure reveal that the answer is no, so we affirm the district court’s decision to dismiss," the ruling states.
Legal experts told Fox News Digital that the case is likely to make its way up to the highest court in the land, giving the nine justices the opportunity to examine the Voting Rights Act in a presidential election year.