Civil rights groups ask U.S. Supreme Court to block Miami commissioner districts

Daily Docket — Monday, Aug. 7
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The Ballot Measure Wars ([link removed])

By Kentiya Orange, Carrie Olson-Manning, Emma O. Sharkey

Here are some redistricting updates.
* Mathematicians and computer scientists filed ([link removed]) a lawsuit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court challenging the state's legislative maps. They allege that the districts are gerrymandered to heavily benefit Republicans and violate the state constitution. This is the second challenge to the state’s maps since the state Supreme Court gained a new liberal majority last week.
* Civil rights groups asked ([link removed]) the U.S. Supreme Court to block city commissioner districts in Miami-Dade County, Florida, arguing that the districts are unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered. A district court previously struck down the map for this reason, but a federal appeals court subsequently paused the ruling, allowing for the gerrymandered maps to be in place in for the upcoming November 2023 elections. The plaintiffs are asking the Court to vacate the stay so fairer maps will be in place for elections later this year.
* Trial ([link removed]) began today in a redistricting lawsuit arguing that the commissioner districts of Galveston County, Texas deny Black and Latino voters representation and violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Find out what's at stake for voters in Texas here ([link removed]) .
* The Congressional Black Caucus and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) filed ([link removed]) a brief in the Alabama redistricting case asking the court to take over map drawing, arguing that Republicans' new congressional map directly defies the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Allen v. Milligan.

Here are some other updates.
* An Ohio special election will be held tomorrow to determine whether a Republican-backed initiative to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments in the state to pass to 60% becomes law. Ohio voters: Make sure to double check your polling location here ([link removed]) .
+ Despite the election being tomorrow, there is no opportunity ([link removed]) for early voting today as a result of House Bill 458 ([link removed]) , which Ohio Republicans enacted earlier this year. This law is currently being challenged ([link removed]) in court.
* The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking ([link removed]) a court order to prevent former president Donald Trump from posting on social media about material shared from the agency to Trump's legal team in preparation for trial on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

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