Federal Appeals Court Blocks Native American Voting Rights Challenge, Paving Way for Supreme Court Review

The recent refusal by the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear a pivotal voting rights case brought by two North Dakota Native American tribes signals a troubling narrowing of legal recourse for minority voters. The Spirit Lake Tribe and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians challenged the state's legislative redistricting map on grounds that it diluted their electoral power — an allegation rooted in decades-old civil rights protections. However, the court’s majority upheld a controversial interpretation that only the U.S. Department of Justice—not private citizens or groups—can bring lawsuits under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act....