FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2024
CONTACT:
Amy M. Echo-Hawk, Native American Rights Fund, 303-447-8760 x5,
Emily Burns, Campaign Legal Center,
Voters and Tribes defend court-ordered North Dakota voting map and Voting Rights Act claims at Eighth Circuit on Tuesday
WHEN: 9 a.m. (Central) on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 (first on the docket for the day)
WHERE: Courtroom 5A, 5th Floor, Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 316 N. Robert Street, St. Paul, MN | To hear live audio, call 1-571-353-2301 and enter the Access Code: 044556657 | Archived recordings: https://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/oral-arguments
WHAT: The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments for three redistricting lawsuits from North Dakota: Turtle Mountain Chippewa et al. v. Howe (23-3655) and TMC v. North Dakota Legislative Assembly consolidated lawsuits (23-3697 and 24-1171). The panel will hear:
- Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa et al v. North Dakota Legislative Assembly (23-3697 and 24-1171), which is a consolidated appeal filed by the North Dakota Legislature to intervene and postpone a court-ordered adoption of a fair state voting map, and
- Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa et al. v. Michael Howe (23-3655), which is the state’s appeal of a case Native voters and two Tribal Nations won. The U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota determined that districts 9 and 15 of the 2021 North Dakota Legislative Map illegally diluted Native votes in violation of the Voting Rights Act. North Dakota is challenging the remedial map and whether private plaintiffs can bring Voting Right Act claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
WHO: Campaign Legal Center Attorney Mark Gaber will be giving Tuesday’s oral arguments. A team including the Native American Rights Fund, CLC, the Law Office of Bryan L. Sells, LLC, and Robins Kaplan LLP represent the Native voters and Tribal Nations defending their right to a fair voting map. Chief Judge Steven M. Colloton (Des Moines, IA) and Eighth Circuit Judges Raymond W. Gruender (St. Louis, MO) and Judge Jonathan A. Kobes (Sioux Falls, SD) will hear the arguments.
Background Info: https://narf.org/cases/north-dakota-redistricting-map/
###
About the Native American Rights Fund (NARF):
NARF is a non-profit 501c(3) organization focused on applying existing laws and treaties to guarantee that federal and state governments live up to their legal obligations to Native Americans. Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided specialized legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide to assert and defend the most important Native rights. In hundreds of major cases. NARF has achieved significant results in critical areas such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education. Like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn to learn about the latest fights to promote justice and protect Native American rights.
Native American Rights Fund :: 303-447-8760 ::