Fighting for the Right to Ballot Initiatives
Dr. Anna Fitz-James filed suit alleging that Missouri Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft’s summary statements of her Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative were unfair, misleading, and argumentative. Fitz-James argued the Secretary’s summary did not allow voters to make informed decisions about the initiative. LWV of Missouri filed an amicus brief supporting her efforts to replace the Secretary's summaries with accurate descriptions of the ballot initiative.
Protecting Fair Redistricting in Weld County
LWV of Greeley-Weld County and the Latino Coalition of Weld County filed a state court lawsuit asserting the Weld County Commission violated state law and procedural due process after it disobeyed the requirements of HB 21-1047. The bill, signed into law in 2021, mandates public hearings, redistricting commissions, and redistricting criteria, including the preservation of communities of interest when redrawing county commissioner districts.
Preventing Voter Confusion in Montana
LWV Montana filed a state court lawsuit against HB 892, which prescribed criminal penalties against voters who registered to vote in a new state after moving before their voter registration at their previous residence was removed and/or failed to provide accurate previous voter registration information on their voter registration application.
Fighting Prison Gerrymandering in Virginia
LWV Virginia and partners filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of Virginia in a case challenging House Bill 1255, a law setting standards and criteria for the Virginia Redistricting Commission’s drawing of state legislative districts, that was passed in 2020. Plaintiffs challenged the bill over its provision to end prison gerrymandering. LWV Virginia’s brief urged the court to uphold the ban on prison gerrymandering contained in House Bill 1255.
Protecting Transparency in Campaign Finance
LWV Washington, Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Fix Democracy First filed an amicus brief in the Washington Court of Appeals defending the state’s disclosure requirements for online political advertising. LWV Washington and its co-amici urged the court to affirm a Superior Court judgment penalizing Meta for failing to obey the requirements.
Protecting Reproductive Freedom in Arizona
LWV Arizona and several business owners filed an amicus brief in the Arizona Supreme Court urging the court to not revive an 1864 abortion ban. Dr. Eric Hazelrigg, an anti-abortion OB-GYN, sought to revive the ban, alleging the law overrode a 2022 law allowing abortions up to 15 weeks.