Civil Rights

NC Voting Rights Challenge

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The challenge to North Carolina’s restrictive voting rights law is set to begin next week.  Many believe that the decision could have vast implications for other states.  However, what is most likely to happen after the trial  is an appeal and we could be a year or more away from an impactful decision.  Read more here:  http://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2015/07/09/local/naacp-nc-square-off-on-voting-rights-with-national-implications/ Continue reading →

This Week in Civil Rights History

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This week marks some significant events in the history of civil rights in the US.  Many of the occurrences are sad, such as the funeral for civil rights worker, Viola Liuzzo,  fifty years ago following the march from Selma to Montgomery, AL and the April 4, 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said that the quest for justice was eternal.  As the quest continues, universities, such as Michigan, are hosting discussions that link the struggles of the past to our current state of  equal rights.

US Supreme Court Addresses NonPartisan Redistricting

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On March 2, 2015, the United States Supreme Court (USSC) heard arguments in Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.   The USSC considered the power of the people versus the power of the legislature. You can find an analysis of today’s argument here.   Arizona state legislators were not happy with the redistricting map that the Independent Commission drafted and implemented in 2012.  The Court’s decision could have widespread implications on redistrictings across the country.  In places like California, where an Independent Commission has successfully drawn and redrawn congressional and state legislative districts in a nonpartisan manner, the Court’s decision could cause a ripple effect that mandates re-redistricting.  If the Arizona legislature gets its way, only elected officials, not nonpartisan citizens, will have the ability to draw the lines to get themselves reelected and continue the widespread polarization that currently exists.

Restoring the Right to Vote

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Recently, Virginia and Kentucky took up the issue of restoring the right to vote to persons convicted of nonviolent felonies, with different results.  In VA, the state house voted down a resolution that would allow for automatic restoration.  In KY, state house members will need a super majority after public approval to provide restorative measures to nonviolent felons.  The paradox of outcomes demonstrate that the road to restoration can be extremely difficult for the more than 5 million persons who have lost the right to vote because of former convictions.