Full Fifth Circuit Poised to Narrow Some Voting Rights Claims (1)

The full US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit suggested it’ll rule against the ability of different coalitions of minority voters to pursue claims together under the Voting Rights Act.

The 18-judge panel, consisting of the circuit’s active judges and a senior member of the court, on Tuesday questioned whether Hispanic and Black voters in Texas’ Galveston County should be protected together under Section 2 of the landmark voting rights law. Neither group alone is large enough on its own to qualify to challenge maps under the Voting Rights Act.

Judge Edith Jones, a Ronald Reagan appointee, was the ...