Here is “Going Postal: How All-Mail Voting Thwarts Navajo Voters” from In These Times.
Voting Rights Act
San Juan County Ordered To Create New School Board Election Districts by January 28th, 2016
Link to press release from Navajo Nation DOJ here.
Previous posts about the case here.
Excerpt:
Leonard Gorman, Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, attended the status conference and said, “We are very pleased with how the hearing went yesterday. It was great that Judge Shelby agreed that Navajo voters in San Juan County should not have to tolerate violations of their constitutional rights through another election cycle. We are especially grateful to Judge Shelby for establishing a firm deadline for fixing the County’s illegal School Board election districts.”
Navajo Prevails in Voting Rights Case
Here are the materials in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County (D. Utah):
173 Navajo Motion for Summary J – 4th Claim
182 Navajo Motion for Summary J – 2d Claim
198 San Juan County Opposition
Alaska Settles Voting Rights Suit Brought by Alaska Natives
Here, “STATE OF ALASKA SETTLES IN HISTORIC VOTING RIGHTS CASE.”
An excerpt:
After nine months of negotiations, the State of Alaska reached a settlement with the Native Alaskan plaintiff’s who sued the state in federal court over the translation of voting materials and ballot access for Native Alaskan voters. The settlement requires a variety of actions by the state including providing language assistance for three census areas and information in Gwich’in and up to six Yup’ik dialects in the official election pamphlet. Read the full settlement document from the National Indian Law Library website. Find news coverage at the Alaska Dispatch website and the KTUU website.
Other materials here.
News coverage here.
Federal Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Pine Ridge Voting Rights Act Matter
Here is the order in Poor Bear v. Jackson County (D. S.D.):
Motion to dismiss and other materials here.
Federal Court Denies San Juan County’s Motion to Dismiss Navajo Nation’s Voting Rights Case
Here are the materials in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County (D. Utah):
98 San Juan County Motion to Dismiss
99 Navajo Nation Motion for Partial Summary J — Fourth Claim
100 Navajo Nation Motion for Partial Summary J — Second and Third Claims
101 Navajo Nation Opposition to 98
104 San Juan County 56d Motion
105 San Juan County Reply re 98
166 Memorandum Decision and Order
An excerpt:
Having established subject-matter jurisdiction and the joinder of all necessary parties, the court finds that Navajo Nation has provided “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). It has thus satisfied the requirements of Rule 12(b)(6). Rule 12(c) further states that “[a]fter the pleadings are closed–but early enough not to delay trial–a party may move for judgment on the pleadings.” The court finds no basis on which San Juan County would be entitled to judgment on the merits on the basis of this briefing.
United States Intervenes in South Dakota Voting Rights Case
Here are the materials in Poor Bear v. Jackson County (D. S.D.):
29 Statement of the Interest of the US
Complaint here. Other materials here.
News coverage here.
UPDATE: I should point out this doesn’t look like a formal motion to intervene, more like an amicus brief.
Motion for Preliminary Injunction Filed in Poor Bear v. County of Jackson (S.D. Native Voting Rights Act Case)
Here is the pleading in Poor Bear v. County of Jackson (D. S.D.):
The complaint is here.
Voting Rights Act Complaint Filed by Natives in South Dakota
Here is the complaint in Poor Bear v. County of Jackson (D. S.D.):
An excerpt:
This case arises from Defendants’ refusal to establish a satellite office for voter registration and in-person absentee voting in the Town of Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Reservation, thereby making voting less available to Native Americans in Jackson County in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Specifically, because in-person voter registration and in-person absentee voting are limited to the county seat of Kadok, Native American residents of Jackson County are required to travel, on average, approximately twice as far (and such travel takes approximately twice as much time) to take advantage of in-person registration and in-person absentee voting in comparison to white residents of Jackson County. Establishing a satellite office in Wanblee, on the other hand, would substantially reduce the distance and travel time for both groups, would essentially equalize the average travel time and distance for the two groups, and would thereby provide Native Americans an equivalent level of access to in-person registration and in-person absentee voting.
Alaska Natives Win Major Voting Rights Case
Here is the press release:
We posted some materials from this case, Toyukak v. Treadwell (D. Alaska), here.
Turtle Talk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.