Supreme Court Reargues Louisiana v. Callais, Threatens Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court heard rare second-round oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that could fundamentally weaken or eliminate Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The case questions whether Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-Black congressional district (which elected Rep. …

Supreme Court Begins 2025-2026 Term with Focus on Executive Power and Voting Rights

The Supreme Court began its 2025-2026 term on October 6, 2025, with a docket featuring critical cases on executive power, voting rights, and constitutional law. The October session includes 10 oral arguments over five days, with several cases that could fundamentally reshape American governance.

Key …

Coordinated Constitutional Challenge Filed

Legal resistance network files simultaneous federal lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions challenging recent executive orders that potentially violate constitutional separation of powers. The ACLU and Protect Democracy lead a coalition challenging executive orders related to voting rights and …

Allen v. Milligan reaffirms Voting Rights Act §2; orders additional majority-Black district in Alabama

The Supreme Court held that Alabama’s congressional map likely violated §2 of the Voting Rights Act and ordered a remedy adding a second majority-Black district. The ruling preserved the Thornburg v. Gingles framework for vote-dilution claims, affecting redistricting nationally.

Georgia SB 202 Enacts Comprehensive Voter Suppression with Multiple ALEC Provisions

Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia’s SB 202, the “Election Integrity Act of 2021,” implementing a sweeping 98-page voter suppression law that became the first major state enactment of Trump’s “Big Lie” and ALEC’s post-2020 model legislation. Passed on strict …

440 Voter Restriction Bills Introduced in 49 States - ALEC's Largest Suppression Wave

Throughout 2021, at least 440 bills containing voter restriction provisions were introduced across 49 states, representing the largest coordinated assault on voting rights since Jim Crow and demonstrating ALEC’s systematic model legislation deployment at unprecedented scale. The Brennan Center …

Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Beyond Federal Court Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Rucho v. Common Cause that partisan gerrymandering claims present “political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts,” effectively eliminating federal judicial oversight of even extreme partisan redistricting. The decision gives state legislatures …

Supreme Court blocks 2020 Census citizenship question as 'contrived'; filings tie rationale to Hofeller partisan plan

In Department of Commerce v. New York, the Supreme Court held that the Secretary’s stated rationale for adding a Census citizenship question was “contrived” and set aside the decision. Separate court filings introduced the late GOP strategist Thomas Hofeller’s 2015 study and …

Michigan Voters Approve Independent Redistricting Commission, Ending Partisan Gerrymandering

Michigan voters approve Proposal 2 with 61% support, amending the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission that removes politicians from the line-drawing process. The grassroots “Voters Not Politicians” initiative directly responds to Michigan’s status …

Florida Voters Approve Amendment 4 Restoring Voting Rights to 1.4 Million with Felony Convictions

Florida voters approve Amendment 4 by 64.55%, automatically restoring voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions who have completed their sentences. The constitutional amendment represents the largest expansion of voting rights in the United States since the …

Supreme Court Upholds Ohio's Aggressive "Use It Or Lose It" Voter Purge System

The Supreme Court rules 5-4 to uphold Ohio’s aggressive voter purge system—the most severe in the nation—that removes voters from registration rolls if they fail to vote in a single federal election and don’t return a mailed confirmation notice. Justice Samuel Alito’s majority …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down Congressional Map as Unconstitutional Partisan Gerrymander

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that the state’s 2011 congressional map violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s guarantee that “elections shall be free and equal,” striking down one of the nation’s most extreme partisan gerrymanders. The court finds that …

Courts Strike Down North Carolina Racial Gerrymandering, Legislature Redraws With Explicit Partisan Intent

Federal courts strike down North Carolina’s 2011 legislative redistricting as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, finding that Republican lawmakers illegally packed African American voters into 28 districts. In response, the Republican-controlled legislature redraws the maps with explicit …

Federal Court Rules Texas Voter ID Law Intentionally Discriminatory Against Minorities

A federal judge rules that Texas’s voter ID law, widely considered the strictest in the nation, was intentionally designed to discriminate against Black and Latino voters. The ruling finds “a pattern of conduct unexplainable on grounds other than the race factor” and marks the …

Appeals Court Strikes Down North Carolina Voter ID Law With "Surgical Precision" Ruling

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down North Carolina’s comprehensive voter suppression law (HB 589) in a scathing ruling that finds the legislature “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.” Judge Diana Gribbon Motz’s opinion exposes how North …

North Carolina Passes "Monster" Voter Suppression Law Hours After Shelby County Decision

Within hours of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, North Carolina Republicans introduce and rapidly pass House Bill 589, one of the most comprehensive voter suppression laws in the nation. The law imposes strict voter ID requirements, eliminates …

Supreme Court Shelby County Decision Guts Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which required federal preclearance for voting changes in states with histories of discrimination. Chief Justice Roberts argued the formula was outdated, while Justice Ginsburg warned it …

Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder Decision

The Supreme Court strikes down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a 5-4 decision, effectively nullifying Section 5’s preclearance requirement that prevented jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination from changing voting laws without federal approval. Chief Justice …

Shelby County Decision Guts Voting Rights Act Preclearance

Supreme Court 5-4 decision with Thomas and Alito strikes down VRA Section 4(b), enabling voter suppression that benefits Republican donors who fund justices’ luxury lifestyles

ALEC States Immediately Implement Voter Restrictions After Shelby County Decision

Within hours of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 Shelby County v. Holder decision striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, ALEC-affiliated states began implementing voter suppression laws that had been previously blocked by federal preclearance requirements. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott …

Federal Court Rules Texas 2011 Redistricting Intentionally Discriminated Against Latino Voters

A federal court rules that the Texas Legislature’s 2011 redistricting plan for congressional districts discriminated against Latino voters in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The decision finds that Texas deliberately carved up Latino communities and …

North Carolina Republicans Begin Aggressive Racial Gerrymandering

Following their historic gains in the 2010 elections, North Carolina Republicans gain control of the General Assembly for the first time in over a century and immediately implement the “Rucho-Lewis plan”—an aggressive redistricting scheme that packs African American voters into …

34 States Introduce ALEC Voter ID Bills in Coordinated Suppression Campaign

Following the 2010 Republican wave that gave the GOP control of both legislative chambers in twenty-six states, at least 34 states introduced nearly identical voter ID bills in the 2011 legislative session. The bills used ALEC’s 2009 model “Voter ID Act” template language, …

ALEC Creates Model Voter ID Legislation Following Obama Election

ALEC’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force approved the “Voter ID Act” model legislation at its July 2009 Atlanta meeting, with final Board of Directors approval on August 27, 2009. The model bill was created in direct response to Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory and …

Florida Disenfranchises 1.4 Million Citizens Through Felony Voting Bans, Highest Rate in Nation

By 2000, Florida disenfranchises an estimated 1.4 million citizens who have felony convictions—nearly a quarter of all disenfranchised people with felony records in the entire United States. Florida’s lifetime voting ban for people with felony convictions, rooted in post-Civil War efforts to …