Appeals court rules against North Dakota tribes in voting rights case that could go to Supreme Court
NORTH DAKOTA, JUL 9 – The 8th Circuit ruled 2 Native American tribes cannot sue under the Voting Rights Act for alleged vote dilution, creating a circuit split likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
- On July 3, 2025, a federal appeals court declined to revisit its decision adverse to two Native American tribes involved in a North Dakota voting rights redistricting dispute.
- The tribes challenged a 2021 legislative map they said diluted their voting power, but the court said only the Department of Justice can sue under the Voting Rights Act.
- The ruling overturned a lower court decision that had invalidated the 2021 map and ordered a new district encompassing both tribes' reservations where Democrats won seats in 2024.
- The Campaign Legal Center criticized the ruling as contradicting congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent, and said the tribes are considering their legal options.
- The decision limits private voting rights lawsuits in the 8th Circuit but faces national scrutiny and could reach the Supreme Court to resolve conflicting circuit rulings.
65 Articles
65 Articles
No ruling before August in NC redistricting trial
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NC is one of the most gerrymandered states in America. This trial hopes to change that.
A federal trial wrapping up in Winston-Salem centers on the claim that NC Republicans suppressed Black voters when they gerrymandered the state. North Carolina is considered to be one of the most gerrymandered states in America. The plaintiffs in a federal court trial wrapping up in Winston-Salem today are hoping to do something about that. NC’s state chapter of the NAACP is alleging that Republican lawmakers purposely drew congressional and st…
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MINOT, ND (KXNET) — A new law is changing the way absentee ballots are counted, and this is being put to the test for the first time next month in Minot. Minot's upcoming mayoral race on August 5 is the first time North Dakota's new absentee ballot law is happening. This new law now requires all absentee ballots to arrive at the county auditor's office before polls close on election day in order to be counted. "Now it can be dropped off at the c…

Appeals court won’t rehear North Dakota Native American redistricting lawsuit
FARGO — Native American tribes who argued voters were disenfranchised by North Dakota may have to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday, July 3, that it wouldn’t rehear arguments from attorneys representing the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Spirit Lake Nation and several Native American voters who sued North Dakota. The next option for the tribes and voters, if they want to continue, …
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