Court ruling backs tribes’ effort to force lawmakers to redraw North Dakota legislative boundaries
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from North Dakota's secretary of state to delay a federal judge's ruling that found the state's 2021 redistricting map violated the Voting Rights Act in diluting the voting strength of two Native American tribes. The court's denial came Friday, a week before the deadline set by the federal judge for the state to adopt a new map of legislative districts. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Nation filed the lawsuit early last year. U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte ruled in the tribes' favor in November. Secretary of State Michael Howe is appealing the decision.