Southern states are rushing to kill off Black districts

Friday, May 1

View in browser

After Supreme Court’s destruction of Voting Rights Act, here’s the latest on redistricting:

Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey (R) called a special session to reinstate the state’s old gerrymander before the midterms — pending a greenlight from SCOTUS.
Louisiana: The state successfully suspended its U.S. House primaries yesterday. There are already three lawsuits against the state for halting its active election and nullifying votes.
Tennessee: In a move that may eliminate its one blue congressional seat and disenfranchise Black voters, Tennessee is now seeking to redistrict mid-cycle.
South Carolina: Lawmakers and the state GOP have urged the governor to call for a special session to mid-cycle redistrict.
Georgia: The governor has said he won’t call a special session to redraw for 2026, but as we saw after Alabama’s 180, that could change.
Florida: We’re waiting for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to sign the recently passed gerrymandered map.
Virginia: The Republican National Committee is appealing its loss in a third challenge to Virginia's 10-1 congressional map approved by voters last month.
Check out our redistricting map >>>

Check out our members-only website and explore premium newsletters from Marc and the Democracy Docket team.

To boot, SCOTUS’ ruling may also demolish states’ voting rights laws

State-level statutes that seek to bar racially discriminatory voting practices are also in danger after this week’s catastrophic decision to gut the Voting Rights Act.
Read the full story >>>

And Trump’s DOJ says ‘We are ON IT!’

Trump’s DOJ is preparing to weaponize the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act and challenge maps that protect Black and Latino voters — starting with California.
Read the full story >>>

A win for Missouri

The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled in favor of pro-voting plaintiffs and amended the secretary of state's proposed ballot language. This comes after the lower court made minor changes to the language but left the most prejudicial phrases intact.

Court blocks Trump DOJ voter data grab in Arizona

A federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit seeking Arizona’s full voter rolls, ruling the agency has no legal authority to demand the statewide database.

Delaware launches task force to defend elections from Trump

Gov. Matt Meyer (D) announced a new state task force focused on protecting elections from outside interference, including efforts by Trump and allies. The group will monitor threats like voter intimidation, disinformation and attempts to centralize control over elections.

Court rejects effort to force Hawaii to hand over voter data

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal law does not require Hawaii to turn over its statewide voter registration data to a right-wing group.

Court upholds Pennsylvania limits on sharing voter data online

A federal court tossed a challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on publishing voter data online, finding the restriction does not conflict with federal voting law.

Court strikes down Georgia election board rules expanding poll watcher powers

A Georgia court invalidated two controversial rules adopted by the Georgia State Election Board, including one expanding poll watcher access and another requiring detailed daily voting reports.