Recently, a lawsuit filed by four residents and three Black Democratic lawmakers was struck down. The case claimed the new districts violated the Voting Rights Act and the United States Constitution.
When the state revamped the map, thousands of Black voters were moved into the Fourth and First Districts from the Second District, which weakened the voice of those Black voters, according to the federal lawsuit. This lawsuit was partially dismissed in October, but the plaintiffs were allowed to submit an amendment. The amendment brought up what the plaintiffs noted were violations of laws related to the right of citizens to vote.
May 28, 2023
The panel of judges, which includes two Obama appointees and one Trump appointee, representing the Eastern District of Arkansas stated that it couldn't determine that race was the primary factor that led to the districts being redrawn. It opted to dismiss the lawsuit.
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The dismissal comes on the heels of another dismissal of a case surrounding the updated congressional districts approximately two weeks ago. That dismissal was from the Pulaski County Circuit Court.
Arkansas is still facing another lawsuit, which was recently filed. A similar claim is made in that case, filed by the Christian Ministerial Alliance and three voters. This lawsuit says that the redistricting was done to suppress the voice of a minority community.
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The Arkansas Attorney General says that all lawsuits related to this matter are bound to fail. How often the courts will hear cases based on the voting District map issue needs to be clarified. He continues to note that these lawsuits are all shoring up the fact that the districts are legal and don't violate the United States Constitution.
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