The Supreme Court's Potential Overhaul of Voting Rights Litigation and Precedent

A voting rights case currently before the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals could potentially reshape how voting rights are litigated in the courts. The court ruled that individuals or advocacy groups cannot bring a lawsuit under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the denial or abridgment of the right to vote based on race or color. Instead, only the federal government can initiate such lawsuits. Legal experts believe the case will likely reach the Supreme Court, giving the justices an opportunity to examine the Voting Rights Act in a presidential election year. The ruling currently applies only to federal courts within the Eighth Circuit, but there are other pending lawsuits challenging political maps across the country.