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Election Law @ Moritz

Election Law @ Moritz


Litigation

LULAC of Texas v. State of Texas

Case Information

Date Filed / Ended: May 9, 2008 / March 11, 2009
State: Texas
Issues: Selection of Presidential Electors, Vote Dillution
Courts that Heard this Case: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (Case 5:08-cv-00389); U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit (Case 08-50581)

Issue:

Whether the Texas Democratic Primary process unlawfully undervalues the votes of Latino voters.

Status:

Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals (5th Circuit) filed 6/9/08.  Appellant filed brief on 7/30/08.  Appellee filed briefs on 8/26/08 and 9/15/08.  Reply brief filed by Appellant on 9/30/08.  Oral Argument scheduled for 2/2/09 on 12/16/08. Oral Argument heard 2/4/09. Judgment entered and filed 2/17/09.  Mandate issued 3/11/09.

Appellate Court Documents

District Court Documents

Related Links

Top 10 Election Issues

Commentary

Daniel P. Tokaji

A Poster Child for Dysfunctional Districting

Daniel P. Tokaji

 

Fifty years ago next month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Baker v. Carr (1962), inaugurating the “reapportionment revolution” which led to the redrawing of legislative districts across the country. This milestone provides the opportunity to reflect not only on what has been accomplished, but also on what still needs to be done.

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In the News

Daniel P. Tokaji

This week: Bama voting rights case in DC courtroom on Thursday

Professor Daniel Tokaji, a senior fellow at Election Law @ Moritz, was quoted by The Birmingham News in an article about a local county's crusade to end 47 years of federal government oversight of its election returns.

Shelby County is hoping a federal appeals court will agree that the county no longer needs the U.S. Justice Department to approve changes in the ways elections are conducted because the area has progressed from its discriminatory past. It is unclear whether the case would be the vehicle with which justices of the U.S. Supreme Court would review the constitutionality of Section 5.

"I am reasonably confident they're going to take up the question of Section 5 constitutionality within the next few years," Tokaji said. "It could be Shelby County, it could be South Carolina, or some other."

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Info & Analysis

Edward B. Foley

Federal Court Finds Equal Protection Violation

In the Hunter case, involving provisional ballots in a local Ohio election from 2010, the federal district court has ordered that ballots must be counted if they are otherwise eligible if they were miscast because of poll worker error. 

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