A federal appeals court on Monday significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act in seven states, issuing a ruling that would effectively bar private citizens and civil rights organizations from filing lawsuits under a crucial provision of the landmark civil rights law, The New York Times reported.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that only the federal government could bring a legal challenge under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The appellate court found that “only the attorney general of the United States may bring suit” to enforce the key section of the act.
