project on fair representation

April 6, 2016 - In a major voting rights case, the Supreme Court affirmed Texas' right to draw state legislative districts based on total population rather than eligible voters. But whether states can choose to use voter population instead — and tip the balance of political power— remains an open question.

March 19, 2013 - When the NAACP challenged Jim Crow laws, it selected plaintiffs who would elicit both sympathy and outrage. Today conservatives are using the same tactic, as illustrated by Fisher v. The University of Texas -- a case challenging consideration of race in admissions.

February 8, 2013 - This month the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a landmark case challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Considered the heart of the law, the section prohibits racially discriminatory election changes in covered jurisdictions, most of which are in the South.

November 15, 2012 - Three days after an election that saw numerous attempts to suppress the minority vote, the high court agreed to hear Shelby County, Ala.'s challenge to the Voting Rights Act.