New Jersey voters and advocacy groups can now sue local governments over election practices they say disadvantage minority voters, under a law that Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, signed on July 2.
The John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act, named for the late Georgia congressman and civil rights leader, creates state-level protections that replace federal safeguards that supporters say were weakened by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Sherrill’s office said the signing makes New Jersey the first state to enact voting rights legislation following the court’s April decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which held that congressional districts drawn primarily based on race were unconstitutional. …
New Jersey Enacts Voting Anti-Discrimination Law in Response to Supreme Court Ruling
