TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Barry Kolar on Nov 21, 2023

A ruling on who has the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law, the Associated Press reports. The 2-1 decision from a panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals came Monday in St. Louis. It found 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 majority said other federal laws, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act, make it clear when private groups can sue, but said similar wording is not found in the voting law.