Case News & Commentary

A federal district judge granted a motion for preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking an Ohio law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles Office. The court determined that the requirement conflicted with the National Voter Registration Act. The case is Red Wine & Blue v. LaRose....

In a per curiam opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a preliminary injunction issued by a federal district judge in Massachusetts. The injunction blocked sections of an Executive Order issued by President Trump including a section imposing restrictions on mail-in voting. The court found that the states challenging the order were not yet able to show concrete harm. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson filed dissenting opinions. The case is California v. Trump....

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals revived nine provisions of a 2021 Texas law including provisions requiring voters to provide an indentification number or social security number with mail-in ballot applications. The Fifth Circuit determined that the bulk of the plaintiffs' claims failed for lack of standing. The case is La Union del Pueblo Entero v. Abbott....

In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Barrett, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law allowing the counting of timely postmarked mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. According to the Court, federal statutes do not require that mail-in ballots be received by Election Day. According to the majority opinion, federal statutes require that the electorate's choice be made on Election Day but do not set a deadline for the receipt of ballots. The case is Watson v. Republican National Committee....

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that Congress lacks the authority under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to ban voting practices that have racially discriminatory effects. According to the Court, Congress only has this authority when there is intentional race discrimination. The decision greatly weakens the force of the Voting Rights Act, making it extremely difficult for plaintiffs to prove claims of racial discrimination in the drawing of Congressional districts. The case is Callais v. Landry....