Daily Docket — Tuesday, May 9

Here are some court updates from today and yesterday.

• The U.S. Department of Justice entered into a consent decree with Union County, New Jersey over the county’s failure to provide adequate assistance and election materials to Spanish-speaking voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

• A federal judge temporarily blocked Boston’s city council map and ordered new districts to be drawn. Voters and local groups alleged in a lawsuit that the council "deliberately diluted" the voting strength of white and Black voters in two districts, violating federal law.

Here are some recent updates on Republican attempts to limit direct democracy.

• The Ohio House will vote tomorrow on a resolution to raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments from 50% to 60% of the vote. This would make it more difficult for voters to amend the Ohio Constitution.

• Today, the Missouri House passed a resolution to raise the threshold to approve citizen-led ballot measures from 50% to 57% of the vote. The resolution now heads to the Missouri Senate before it can go before voters.

• The Florida Legislature adjourned its 2023 legislative session last Friday without passing a resolution to increase the threshold from 60% to 66.7% for constitutional amendments.

Here’s what to expect coming up.

• On Friday, there will be oral argument over whether or not to hold a trial on the one outstanding claim in Kari Lake's lawsuit contesting her loss in the 2022 Arizona governor's race. 

Can’t get enough news? You can always find more details about these updates on our News page.

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