• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Partnering with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the south to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications.

  • Home
  • About
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Employment Opportunities
  • News
  • Programs
    • Voting Rights
      • News
      • Featured Cases
      • Resources
    • Justice System Reform
      • News
      • Featured Cases
      • Resources
    • Youth Justice Project
      • News
      • Resources
  • Resources
    • Make a Voting Plan: North Carolina
    • Make a Voting Plan: National
    • #MyVoteMyVoice
    • Early Voting Advocacy 2020
    • Videos
    • Reports
    • Infographics
    • SCSJ-led Projects
  • SCSJ Monthly Digest
  • Contact
  • Donate

Search Southern Coalition for Social Justice

SCSJ & ACLU Lawsuit challenging voting law will go to trial after 2014 elections

December 12, 2013 by stacy

A federal judge today ruled that a trial over North Carolina’s sweeping voter suppression law will be held in 2015. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joi Peake also said the court would hear requests this summer for an injunction to halt some or all of the law’s provisions from taking effect until after the trial. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which challenged the law in August, sought judicial review in time for voters to participate in the crucial 2014 midterm elections. In contrast, North Carolina asked the court to delay the trial date well into 2015 or later.
Here SCSJ’s Allison Riggs discusses today’s decision with reporters from the Winston-Salem Journal.

The ACLU, the ACLU of North Carolina, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s lawsuit targets provisions of the law that eliminate a week of early voting, end same-day registration, and prohibit “out-of-precinct” voting. The groups charge that enacting these provisions would unduly burden the right to vote and discriminate against African-American voters, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

ACLU NC Legal Director Chris Brook with SCSJ Staff Attorney Allison Riggs
ACLU NC Legal Director Chris Brook with SCSJ Staff Attorney Allison Riggs
The case, League of Women Voters of North Carolina et al. v. North Carolina, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. It was brought on behalf of several North Carolinians who will face substantial hardship under the law, and on behalf of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute, North Carolina Common Cause, and Unifour Onestop Collaborative, whose efforts to promote voter participation in future elections will be severely hampered.
“We will be fighting hard to ensure North Carolina voters have a chance to cast their ballots in the 2014 midterm elections without having to navigate the damaging provisions of this voter suppression law,” said Southern Coalition for Social Justice attorney Allison Riggs.
More media coverage is available below.
Huffington Post
Raleigh News & Observer
Greensboro News & Record
The Carolina Mercury
Winston-Salem Journal

Donate now to support SCSJ’s vital Voting Rights work!

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconACLU,  Allison Riggs,  Court,  Federal,  Voting restirctions,  voting rights

Next Article: Judge sets 2015 trial date for lawsuits against N.C. voting law
Previous Article: Gerrymandering: "American Horribleness" right here at home

Footer

Contact

1415 West Highway 54, Suite 101
Durham, NC 27707
info@southerncoalition.org
office: 919-323-3380
fax: 919-323-3942
Map

Key Links

About
Donate
Most Recent 990
Staff
Board

The Latest

SCSJ is #hiring! If you or someone you know is interested in & qualified for our new Voting Rights Counsel #job, please apply. We're also hiring for a Justice System Reform Sr. Counsel position! VR Counsel: bit.ly/3bdT1PT JSR Sr. Counsel: bit.ly/386iYio pic.twitter.com/fa0J…

About 3 hours ago

Representatives for the NAACP spoke to the board, citing statistics from SCSJ, which found that while only 18% of the student body are Black students, 59% of suspensions during the 2018-2019 school year were of Black students. Via @wectnews bit.ly/3qfMoke

About 6 hours ago

We're excited for day 1 of our CROWD Academy in MS with our state partner, @SouEcho, tonight! Wondering what you'll learn as a CROWD participant? Check out the new one-pager & booklet on our website, & while you're there, read through some testimonials! bit.ly/SCSJCROWD

Yesterday

The #ForthePeopleAct, also called H.R. 1, would expand opportunities to #votebymail, require states to establish electronic voter registration, and would make Election Day a federal holiday. Via @thehill: bit.ly/3b74tg2

Yesterday

“Poverty, lack of transportation, lack of access to flexible work and living wages is why out of precinct voting is important and why ballot collection, particularly on indigenous lands is so important.” @AllisonJRiggs bit.ly/3bQUj2p via @guardian #SCOTUS #BrnovichvDNC

Yesterday

Follow @scsj
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Copyright © 2021 Southern Coalition for Social Justice · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design