Eighth Circuit Court Restricts Private Enforcement of Voting Rights Act in Landmark Decision

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has made a notable decision in the case of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe. The court held that private plaintiffs cannot leverage 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 to maintain a private right of action for alleged violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This ruling diverges from hundreds of district court precedents that allowed private individuals to use Section 1983 for such claims. The case involved two tribes, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe, along with three individual Native American voters, who argued that North Dakota’s 2021 redistricting undermined Native American voting strength. For further details, please follow this link to access the original article.