WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 -- The Asian Americans Advancing Justice issued the following statement on Nov. 21, 2023: * * * In a 2-1 decision of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel of judges determined that private plaintiffs - such as private citizens and civil rights groups - no longer have the right to bring lawsuits under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The ruling, which holds legal authority in the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesot  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Nov. 21 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following statement on Nov. 20, 2023: * * * The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld a 2022 lower court ruling in an Arkansas redistricting case that radically concluded that voters may not sue to protect their voting rights under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 -- The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement on Nov. 20, 2023: * * * Today, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals substantially weakened the core affirmative enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act, disempowering everyday citizens and non-governmental organizations like the Arkansas State Conference NAACP-a plaintiff in the underlying lawsuit-by removing their ability to legally challenge voting laws that harm Black voters and o  more

NEW YORK, Nov. 22 -- The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund issued the following statement on Nov. 21, 2023: * * * Today, a panel of federal judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held in a 2-1 ruling that private plaintiffs can no longer bring lawsuits under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The decision, which is binding only in the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Sou  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 -- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued the following statement on Nov. 20, 2023: * * * Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on the Eighth Circuit ruling from Arkansas limiting Voting Rights Act enforcement: "We know that for our democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. Today's ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit poses a severe th  more

LOS ANGELES, California, Nov. 21 -- The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund issued the following statement on Nov. 20, 2023: * * * In a 2-1 decision, a federal court of appeals panel today ruled that private parties do not have the ability to sue under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). The decision came in a case out of Arkansas and will apply in the eight states in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit's decision i  more