Voting Rights Ruling Follows US Supreme Court ‘Bat Signal’

A federal appeals court ruling blocking certain voting rights lawsuits by private parties may have been invited by some US Supreme Court justices, but the decision won’t necessarily get the full court’s support.

A divided panel on the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Monday ruled that there is no “private right of action” under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a move that would allow only the Justice Department to bring forward lawsuits alleging gerrymandering along racial lines.

Law professors and voting rights advocates say the appeals court ruling is a direct response to conservative ...