Federal court ruling threatens to gut the Voting Rights Act

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

54% : "Since the original Arkansas opinion came down, I think there have been 15 decisions by other courts around the country about whether Section 2 includes a private right of action and all but one of held like, of course it does," said Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice.
48% : The vast majority of Voting Rights Act claims are brought by private citizens and civil rights groups, who foot the bill for time-consuming litigation to protect voting rights.
48% : The ruling, affirming a lower court's dismissal of the case, goes against decades of precedent in which judges have assumed or specifically affirmed a private right of action under the Voting Rights Act.
48% : Li said he believes the ruling will be overturned on appeal, but it is currently the law of the land in seven states.
47% : The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled Monday that the Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel could not challenge redistricting maps in Arkansas because Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not provide a "private right of action.

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