The ruling, which is almost certain to be appealed to the Supreme Court, would effectively bar private citizens and civil rights groups from suing under a key provision of the landmark law.
  • Drusas@kbin.social
    33·
    7 months ago

    The decision by the court of appeals on Monday found that the text of the Voting Rights Act did not explicitly contain language for “a private right of action,” or the right of private citizens to file lawsuits under the law. Therefore, the court found, the right to sue would effectively lie with the government alone.

    “Only the government can sue the government” is exactly the sort of anti-voting rights stance the Republicans are pushing these days.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    71·
    7 months ago

    Every fucking piece of legislature has a backwards ass name. Its so fucking stupid and it works because as a population we are fucking stupid. This shit drives me nuts. I’m waiting for the day The Free Peoples Act surfaces and it really just enslaves us all.

    • silence7OP
      15·
      7 months ago

      The Voting Rights Act is a bunch of measures designed to protect peoples’ right to vote; it was written in the civil rights era to ensure that African-Americans wouldn’t be blocked from voting. A bunch of Republican appointees are trying to change the rules so that they can again engage in discriminatory acts designed to prevent minorities from voting and to prevent their votes from mattering.

        • silence7OP
          5·
          7 months ago

          We’ve got fairly limited options: federal judgeships in the US are appointments for life, and Republicans control the Supreme Court.

          Doing everything possible (not just voting, but actively campaigning and donating to campaigns) to keep Democratic control over the Senate and presidency will eventually change things. Dedicate the most resources to close seats.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    21·
    7 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday that would drastically weaken the Voting Rights Act, effectively barring private citizens and civil rights groups from filing lawsuits under a central provision of the landmark law.

    The ruling, made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, found that only the federal government could bring a legal challenge under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a crucial part of the law that prohibits election or voting practices that discriminate against Americans based on race.

    The court’s current conservative majority has issued several key decisions in recent years that have weakened the Voting Rights Act.

    Therefore, the court found, the right to sue would effectively lie with the government alone.

    Should the ruling stand, it would remove perhaps the most important facet of the Voting Rights Act; the majority of challenges to discriminatory laws and racial gerrymanders have come from private citizens and civil rights groups.

    A Supreme Court ruling in June finding that Alabama had drawn racially discriminatory maps was brought by a number of civil rights organizations.

    The original article contains 234 words, the summary contains 181 words. Saved 23%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!