North Dakota tribes push Supreme Court review in voting rights case

Two North Dakota tribes and three tribal citizens plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review an 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found they lacked standing to sue the state over alleged voter discrimination, according to the North Dakota Monitor. The case involves the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Spirit Lake Nation and a 2021 redistricting map the plaintiffs argue illegally diluted Native voting power.

The 8th Circuit reversed a lower court decision favoring the plaintiffs and reaffirmed its position that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In a brief filed Wednesday, the plaintiffs asked to maintain the lower court decision. The request was denied on Thursday.