Actions & Cases
Explore our cases and actions, including relevant court documents.
Rose v. Raffensperger
The Election Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Sierra Club to the Supreme Court in support of Rose et al.’s Petition for a Writ of Certiorari. The brief argues that the PSC is a policymaking body that does not fit into the Eleventh Circuit’s applied precedent, that the PSC would function efficiently, perhaps even more effectively with districts, and that the current lack of representation at the PSC has detrimental economic and health consequences for Black Georgians.
Western Native Voice v. Jacobsen
ELC is supporting The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Montana, and Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in their challenge of two new Montana laws that hinder Native American participation in state elections.
Kim v. Giordano Hanlon
The brief, filed by the Election Law Clinic in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, argues that New Jersey’s notorious county line ballot design is more distortive than almost all other electoral policies.
Callais v. Landry
Along with the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Louisiana, the Louisiana Justice Institute, Louisiana attorney and John Adcock, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, the Election Law Clinic represents Louisiana voters and civil rights groups as proposed intervenors in a lawsuit that challenges the second majority-Black district in the state’s newly enacted congressional map. A result of Robinson v. Landry, this second district was drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act to give Black voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.
Robinson v. Landry
Together with the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Louisiana Louisiana attorney John Adcock, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, the Election Law Clinic represents Louisiana voters and civil rights groups in a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional map under the Voting Rights Act. The discriminatory map fails to create a second majority-Black congressional district, diluting the voting power of Black Louisiana voters.
Nairne v. Landry
Together with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the ACLU of Louisiana, Cozen O’Connor, and Louisiana attorneys Ron Wilson and John Adcock, the Election Law Clinic represents Louisiana voters and civil rights groups in a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s state House and Senate district maps under the Voting Rights Act. The discriminatorily drawn state house maps deny Black voters an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of their choice.
Serratto v. Town of Mount Pleasant
ELC, along with Abrams Fensterman, LLP, are representing five Latino voters in a lawsuit challenging the at-large elections for Mount Pleasant Town Board as a violation of the New York Voting Rights Act. The at-large system dilutes the votes of Latino members of the community and denies them an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
State Voting Rights Act Advocacy
The Election Law Clinic is partnering with local organizations across the country to to adopt or amend SVRAs to better enfranchise people of color in local government.
The Election Law Clinic is partnering with local organizations across the country to adopt or amend SVRAs to better enfranchise people of color in local government.
Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission
ELC, along with Law Forward, Stafford Rosenbaum, Campaign Legal Center, and Arnold & Porter are representing nineteen Wisconsin voters in a lawsuit challenging gerrymandered state legislative maps in the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. These unfair maps have resulted in skewed representation, violating the Wisconsin constitution.
Reducing Racial Discrimination in Voting Through Election Alignment in New York
The Election Law Clinic provided a detailed analysis of the racially disparate impact of holding off-cycle elections in towns and counties in New York to support an advocacy letter urging Governor Hochul to sign the Election Alignment Bill (A4282B/S3505B) that passed both houses of the New York State Legislature.
The Election Law Clinic provided a detailed analysis of the racially disparate impact of holding off-cycle elections in towns and counties in New York to support an advocacy letter urging Governor Hochul to sign the Election Alignment Bill (A4282B/S3505B) that passed both houses of the New York State Legislature.
Federal Election Commission Comment - Response to Public Citizen’s Petition for Rulemaking
The Election Law Clinic and the Cyberlaw Clinic jointly submitted comment to the Federal Election Commission, urging the Commission to clarify the extent of the current statutory authority to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in election campaigns and provide guidance on its use moving forward.
The Election Law Clinic and the Cyberlaw Clinic jointly submitted comment to the Federal Election Commission, urging the Commission to clarify the extent of the current statutory authority to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in election campaigns and provide guidance on its use moving forward.
Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP
The Election Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Professors Nicholas O. Stephanopoulos and Jowei Chen to the Supreme Court in support of Appellees. The brief details the applications and value of computational redistricting in the racial gerrymandering context. Unlike racial vote dilution cases, which hinge on discriminatory effects, racial gerrymandering claims depend on discriminatory intent. Computational redistricting can provide probative evidence of this legislative intent.
The Election Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Professors Nicholas O. Stephanopoulos and Jowei Chen to the Supreme Court in support of Appellees. The brief details the applications and value of computational redistricting in the racial gerrymandering context. Unlike racial vote dilution cases, which hinge on discriminatory effects, racial gerrymandering claims depend on discriminatory intent. Computational redistricting can provide probative evidence of this legislative intent.
Citizens Project v. City of Colorado Springs
The ELC is representing Plaintiffs Citizens Project, Colorado Latinos Vote, the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region, and the Black/Latino Leadership Coalition in a lawsuit challenging the timing of off-cycle municipal elections in the City of Colorado Springs. The City’s unusual practice of holding non-November elections disproportionately impacts Hispanic and Black residents and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Allen v. Milligan
The Supreme Court upheld the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to protect the opportunity for communities of color to elect candidates of choice. The Supreme Court’s opinion relied heavily on the amicus brief filed by the Election Law Clinic in its decision. The ELC brief provided the Supreme Court with empirical information about the reach of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and warned that accepting Appellants’ proposal would undermine the election of minority-preferred candidates and governmental responsiveness to minority interests, in violation of Congress’s clear instructions.
The Supreme Court upheld the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to protect the opportunity for communities of color to elect candidates of choice. The Supreme Court’s opinion relied heavily on the amicus brief filed by the Election Law Clinic in its decision. The ELC brief provided the Supreme Court with empirical information about the reach of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and warned that accepting Appellants’ proposal would undermine the election of minority-preferred candidates and governmental responsiveness to minority interests, in violation of Congress’s clear instructions.
Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP v. City of Jacksonville
The Jacksonville City Council unconstitutionally packed four City Council districts and two School Board districts with Black voters, and stripped Black voters out of adjacent districts, diminishing Black political influence in the City.
League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature
The Election Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Professor Charles Fried to the Supreme Court of Utah in support of Plaintiffs. The brief explains that Utah’s Constitution contains provisions distinct from the federal Constitution, in particular, it includes the Free Elections and Uniform Operation of Laws Clauses. The original meaning of these constitutional protections and this Court’s own precedent compels the conclusion that partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable under Utah’s Constitution.
The Election Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Professor Charles Fried to the Supreme Court of Utah in support of Plaintiffs. The brief explains that Utah’s Constitution contains provisions distinct from the federal Constitution, in particular, it includes the Free Elections and Uniform Operation of Laws Clauses. The original meaning of these constitutional protections and this Court’s own precedent compels the conclusion that partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable under Utah’s Constitution.
Borja v. Nago
The brief, filed by the Election Law Clinic and Campaign Legal Center to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, explains that the district court erred by applying the wrong legal standard.
The brief, filed by the Election Law Clinic and Campaign Legal Center to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, explains that the district court erred by applying the wrong legal standard.
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Phillips v. Census Bureau
The Election Law Clinic represents Professor Justin H. Phillips, in an action against the Census Bureau to enforce a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request that seeks data needed to evaluate possible bias in the 2020 Census.
Portugal v. Franklin County
In conjunction with Civil Rights and Justice Clinic University of Washington School of Law, ELC filed a brief of Law School Clinics focused on Civil Rights as Amici Curiae.
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RPV Near Me
RPV Near Me is a project of the Election Law Clinic (“ELC”) at Harvard Law School. ELC now offers free access to summary measures of racially polarized voting (“RPV”) for every county in the country. We hope RPV Near Me will be a resource to voters, community groups, activists, lawyers, and journalists to learn about voting patterns, areas of minority underrepresentation, and identify areas where the electoral system could be improved