Court Rulings Undermine Voting Rights Act Enforcement

A federal appeals court ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has limited who can sue under the Voting Rights Act, stating that only the U.S. Attorney General is authorized to do so. This decision undermines the enforcement of the landmark 1965 law and would bar voters and groups like the NAACP from suing. The ruling, which is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court, applies to seven states. This decision follows a series of other decisions that have weakened the Voting Rights Act, making challenges to voting rules more difficult to win.