During oral arguments, a full panel of federal appellate court judges found themselves divided over whether a coalition of voters of color should receive the same protections under the Voting Rights Act as a single group of protected citizens in a Galveston County redistricting case.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wasn’t tasked with determining whether Galveston County commissioners discriminated against Black and Latino voters when dismantling a district primarily composed of voters of color. Instead, the judges considered whether a coalition of Black and Latino voters should be afforded equal protections under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
While some judges cautioned that extending protections to groups of minority voters could lead to a surge of discrimination claims, others saw merit in including coalitions in the Voting Rights Act to prevent voter dilution.
Judge Dana Douglas emphasized the need to interpret the Voting Rights Act broadly to combat racial discrimination effectively.
