Here are some updates from the last few days you may have missed.
Louisiana Asks SCOTUS To Reinstate Congressional Map -
Last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reinstate Louisiana’s congressional map while an appeal is being litigated. In response, Louisiana Republicans have filed an emergency application in the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to reinstate the map for this year’s elections. As a reminder, in a win for Democrats, a federal district court judge blocked the state’s congressional map for likely violating the Voting Rights Act and ordered the Legislature to pass a remedial map containing a second majority-Black congressional district.
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Meanwhile, Louisiana’s special session to redraw the map ended over the weekend with the Republican-controlled Legislature declining to enact a new one despite the court’s order last month. The district court has now taken over map drawing in response, asking the parties to submit proposed remedial maps by tomorrow. But due to the Republicans’ emergency application, SCOTUS could choose to weigh in — so we’re keeping a close eye on what the high court does.
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Lawsuit Filed Against New Hampshire’s New Voter Suppression Law - On Friday, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed Senate Bill 418 into law. The law will discard the votes of Election Day registrants who fail to provide adequate photo ID within seven days after an election.
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Shortly after Sununu signed the bill, a lawsuit was filed in state court arguing S.B. 418 violates several provisions of the New Hampshire Constitution and should be permanently blocked from being enforced. The plaintiffs contend the law creates unnecessary burdens for voters and may violate the state’s constitutional deadline for election results. Find out more about the lawsuit here.
New York Governor Signs Voting Rights Act Into Law -
On Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York into law. The law’s provisions mirror the federal Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court weakened in 2013. Get the full details here.
Can’t get enough news? You can always find more updates on our Alerts page. Thanks for staying in the fight,
Team Democracy Docket |
