Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Texas Redistricting Lawsuit Filed — A lawsuit has been filed challenging the newly drawn congressional maps in Texas, alleging that the maps are a partisan gerrymander favoring the Republican Party. The plaintiffs argue that the redistricting process violates the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution by diluting the voting power of minority communities. The case has been filed in federal court, and the plaintiffs are seeking a court order to block the use of the maps in upcoming elections.
• Missouri Republicans approve mid-decade congressional redistricting eliminating Democratic seat — Missouri Republicans approved a new congressional map on September 12, 2025, that eliminates a district currently held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver in Kansas City and redistributes voters into GOP-friendly districts, increasing Republican seats from six to seven of eight. The map now goes to Republican Governor Mike Kehoe for signature. Opponents plan to gather signatures for a statewide referendum within 90 days to force a voter decision on the maps in 2026.

Supporting reports

• Alabama petitions Supreme Court to reverse private right of action in Milligan v. Allen — Alabama filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to consider new arguments to reverse the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' determination that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act provides a private right of action. The petition, filed in the case Milligan v. Allen, also raises the constitutional questions at stake in Louisiana v. Callais regarding whether majority-minority districts violate the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Alabama requests stay in redistricting lawsuit pending Callais decision — Alabama filed a request with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay of a lower court's decision ordering the state to draw new congressional maps. The stay request seeks to pause the redistricting order until the Supreme Court issues its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, signaling that the outcome of that VRA case will determine Alabama's redistricting obligations.

Supporting reports

• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Section 2 contains no private right of action in Arkansas case — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not provide a private right of action, meaning only the Attorney General—not private plaintiffs such as voters or voting-rights organizations—can enforce the provision. This decision effectively gutted Section 2 enforcement in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The plaintiffs in that case declined to appeal to the Supreme Court, fearing it would entrench the decision nationwide.
• Eighth Circuit rules Section 208 of VRA contains no private right of action — The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act, which ensures that voters with disabilities or limited English proficiency can receive assistance casting their ballots, does not explicitly provide a private right of action. The decision upheld an Arkansas law that makes it a crime for anyone other than a poll worker to assist more than six people in casting their ballots.

Supporting reports

• Louisiana reverses legal position in Callais, joins conservative plaintiffs in attacking VRA Section 2 — After the Supreme Court's reargument order in Louisiana v. Callais, Louisiana reversed its legal strategy. Previously, the state had argued its congressional map was drawn with political rather than racial considerations. The state now joined the conservative plaintiffs in directly attacking Section 2's remedy—the creation of a second majority-Black congressional district—as unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Supporting reports

• Mississippi petitions Supreme Court to rule on Section 2 private right of action — Mississippi filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to rule on whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act provides a private right of action. The petition appeals a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that had determined private plaintiffs do have a right to sue under Section 2.

Supporting reports

• Republican National Committee urges Fifth Circuit to adopt no-private-right-of-action interpretation for Section 208 — The Republican National Committee filed a brief with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals urging it to adopt the same interpretation as the 8th Circuit—that Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act does not provide a private right of action. This follows the 8th Circuit's decision upholding an Arkansas law criminalizing assistance to more than six voters per person.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court schedules reargument in Louisiana v. Callais on VRA Section 2 remedy — The U.S. Supreme Court delayed issuing an opinion in Louisiana v. Callais during summer 2025 and announced a reargument scheduled for October on whether Louisiana's creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments. The case originated after Louisiana was ordered in 2024 to redraw maps with an additional majority-Black district following a successful Section 2 challenge. The reargument signals the Court may be preparing a sweeping ruling that could substantially narrow or eliminate the VRA's most powerful remaining provision.

Supporting reports

• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians appeals to Supreme Court on Section 2 private right of action — Native American plaintiffs led by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court after the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that private plaintiffs cannot bring Section 2 claims via Section 1983. The tribes had successfully challenged North Dakota's state legislative maps under both Section 2 and Section 1983, resulting in a VRA-compliant map used in 2024. The Supreme Court agreed to pause the 8th Circuit's ruling while it deliberates the appeal.