Various states, cities, and organizational plaintiffs filed two separate lawsuits, later consolidated, challenging the Department of Commerce’s decision to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the Secretary of Commerce’s reasoning for adding the citizenship question was pretextual and violated the Administrative Procedures Act. LWVUS filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs.
The League of Women Voters of the United States, Black Voters Matter, and Naeva (formerly known as Native American Voters Alliance) moved to intervene on behalf of voters in this lawsuit, which seeks to enjoin implementation of Executive Order No. 14019 (“Order”) and make it more difficult to register to vote. The Executive Order was first issued by President Biden on March 7, 2021, with the purpose to “protect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information” and “ensure that registering to vote and the act of voting be made simple and easy for all those eligible to do so.”
LWVIN and Common Cause Indiana filed an amicus brief at the Indiana Supreme Court requesting the court rule the 2021 Indiana Affiliation Statute unconstitutional. A state trial court had previously ruled the statute violated candidates’ and voters’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Judge Jefferson Griffin, losing candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court Seat 6, filed a complaint against the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) attempting to pause certification, throw out tens of thousands of legally cast ballots, and subvert the will of voters. LWVNC filed an amicus brief in federal court explaining the civil rights at stake in this case.
LWV Minnesota filed an amicus brief in the Minnesota Supreme Court supporting a new law that restored voting rights to citizens with felony convictions upon their release from incarceration. The League argued that the plaintiffs had failed to state a valid claim and that overturning the rights restoration law would cause chaos ahead of the November 2024 election.
The Republican Party of New Mexico filed a lawsuit challenging New Mexico’s congressional map, claiming that it was a partisan gerrymander in violation of the New Mexico state constitution. The New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s decision that the map was not an unconstitutional gerrymander. LWV New Mexico filed an amicus brief to assist the state trial court in evaluating whether the map was an illegal partisan gerrymander.
