An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act

By Hansi Lo Wang

Updated November 20, 2023 at 4:15 PM ET

A federal appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act.

The new ruling in an Arkansas redistricting lawsuit may set up the next U.S. Supreme Court fight that could further limit the reach of the Voting Rights Act's protections for people of color.

The legal dispute is focused on who is allowed to sue to try to enforce key provisions under Section 2 of the landmark civil rights law, which was first passed in 1965.

An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act

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Demonstrators hold up large cut-out letters spelling "VOTING RIGHTS" at a 2021 rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.