Clarke v. Town of Newburgh

• Along with co-counsel Abrams Fensterman, LLP, the clinic represented six Black and Latino voters seeking to vindicate their right to equal representation under the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA).

• Prior to trial, the clinic defended the constitutionality of the NYVRA in the New York Court of Appeals.

• On the eve of trial the clinic helped reach an historic settlement, the first under the NYVRA and one of the few voting rights settlements to institute proportional ranked choice voting. The new system will be used for Town elections from 2027 onwards.

Harris v. DeSoto County

• Along with LDF and ACLU of Mississippi, the clinic is representing voters, the NAACP unit in DeSoto, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in a lawsuit to challenge the new district lines adopted by the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors.

• During the redistricting process, the Board of Supervisors refused to engage with Black voters and the resulting map splits Black voters across districts, diluting their political power.

• The case went to trial in February and March 2026.

Conley v. Hirsch

• Along with co-counsel, ELC filed a suit in the Eastern District of North Carolina to protect the right of overseas voters and service members to have their votes counted in a historically close election for a state Supreme Court seat.

• The court ruled in favor of plaintiffs and ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to certify the results of the 2024 election for Supreme Court seat six.

McClure v. Jefferson County Commission

• Represent, along with NAACP LDF, voters and organizations that challenge Jefferson County, AL racially gerrymandered County Commission lines.

• The current map packs Black voters into two districts which reduces their voting power.

• The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Southern Division heard the case; we await a decision from the court. 

We file amicus briefs in major Supreme Court, lower court, and state court cases that implicate election law

Supreme Court amicus briefs

Merrill v. Milligan

• Filed on behalf of Professors Chen, Elmendorf, Stephanopoulos, and Warshaw in support of Appellees/Respondents. The brief explains the already narrow path to success provided by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and argues that the Court should not further narrow Section 2 by adopting a race-blind baseline.

Lower court and state court amicus briefs

Dinner Table Action v. Equal Citizens

• The Clinic represented Mark Cuban, William Von Mueffling, Steve Jurvetson, Vin Ryan, and Reid Hoffman as amici curiae in this case that considered a Maine law that limits the amount donors can give to independent-expenditure entities like superPACs. 

• Amici are among the nation’s wealthiest citizens and hold diverse political views. However they are united by the belief that reasonable limitations like Maine’s are necessary to protect American elections and justified by the serious risk of quid pro quo corruption that unlimited superPAC donations engender.

Standing Up For The Rule of Law

• Filed, along with the Institution for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, on behalf of legal ethics professors in three lawsuits against the Department of Justice. The briefs argued that President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders targeting law firms posed a grave threat to ethical rules and norms of the legal profession.

• In Jenner & Block v. U.S. Department of Justice, the court found that President Trump’s Executive Order violated the First Amendment. ELC’s brief was cited in the opinion. 

ELC works with community organizations and advocacy groups to develop policy solutions to advance voting rights

• Advocacy for State Voting Rights Acts: 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.

  • Highlight: Lucas Rodriguez (JD ’24) testified before both the Maryland Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 1104 and the Connecticut Joint Government Administration and Elections Committee in support of SB 1226.

• Changing the Election Timing for Local Elections to November: Elections that are not held in November of even years disparately decrease the turnout of people of color and result in worse governance outcomes for these communities. 

  • Highlight: 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