Equal Sovereignty as a Right Against a Remedy

Louisiana Law Review Volume 76 | Number 1 The Voting Rights Act at 50: The Past, Present, and Future of the Right to Vote A Symposium of the Louisiana Law Review Fall 2015 Equal Sovereignty as a Right Against a Remedy Seth Davis Repository Citation Seth Davis, Equal Sovereignty as a Right Against a Remedy, 76 La. L. Rev. (2015) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol76/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact . (TXDO6RYHUHLJQW\DVD5LJKW$JDLQVWD5HPHG\ Seth Davis 7$%/(2)&217(176  , ,QWURGXFWLRQ 5LJKWV7DON$ERXW5HPHGLHV  $ 5LJKWVDV/LPLWVRQ5HPHGLHV  % ([DPSOHVRI5LJKWV$JDLQVW5HPHGLHV   'XH3URFHVV   )LUVW$PHQGPHQW   (TXDO3URWHFWLRQ ,, (TXDO6RYHUHLJQW\DQG&RQVWLWXWLRQDO5HPHGLHV  $ 7KH(TXDO6RYHUHLJQW\7ZR6WHS   NAMUDNO v. Holder   Shelby County v. Holder  % $Q8QXVXDO5LJKW$JDLQVWD5HPHG\ ,,, /RFDWLQJ(TXDO6RYHUHLJQW\:LWKLQWKH-XULVSUXGHQFH RI&RQVWLWXWLRQDO5HPHGLHV  $ ,QWHUSUHWLQJShelby County  % Shelby CountyDQG3RVW5DFLDO&RQVWLWXWLRQDO5HPHGLHV  &RQFOXVLRQ ,1752'8&7,21 )LIW\\HDUVDJR&RQJUHVVHQDFWHGDQDPELWLRXVVWDWXWH²WKH9RWLQJ 5LJKWV $FW RI  ³95$´ ²WKDW DLPHG WR QDUURZ WKH JDS EHWZHHQ YRWLQJ ULJKWV RQ WKH ERRNV DQG YRWLQJ UHDOLWLHV IRU UDFLDO PLQRULWLHV $PRQJLWVSURYLVLRQVZDVDFUHDWLYHHQIRUFHPHQWPHFKDQLVPWKDWUHSODFHG    &RS\ULJKWE\6(7+'$9,6   $VVLVWDQW 3URIHVVRU RI /DZ 8QLYHUVLW\ RI &DOLIRUQLD ,UYLQH 6FKRRO RI /DZ (PDLO VGDYLV#ODZXFLHGX , WKDQN 0DULR %DUQHV (UZLQ &KHPHULQVN\ 0LFKDHO&RHQHQ5LFN+DVHQ/LVD6DQGRYDO6XVDQQDK%DUWRQ7RELQDQG&KULV :K\WRFNIRUKHOSIXOFRPPHQWVRQSULRUGUDIWV,QDGGLWLRQ,WKDQNWKHVWDIIRIWKH Louisiana Law ReviewLQFOXGLQJIRUWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRSUHVHQWDW³7KH9RWLQJ 5LJKWV$FWDW7KH3DVW3UHVHQWDQG)XWXUHRIWKH5LJKWWR9RWH´6\PSRVLXP KHOGDWWKH/RXLVLDQD6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\3DXO0+HEHUW/DZ&HQWHU   9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI3XE/1R6WDW FRGLILHGDV DPHQGHGDV86&$††± :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/      LOUISIANA LAW REVIEW >9RO  DIWHUWKHIDFWOLWLJDWLRQZKLFKKDGQRWVXFFHHGHGLQGHWHUULQJUDFHEDVHG GHQLDOVRIWKHULJKWWRYRWHZLWKDUHJLPHWKDWUHTXLUHGMXULVGLFWLRQVZLWK KLVWRULHV RI UDFLDO GLVFULPLQDWLRQ WR ³SUHFOHDU´ FKDQJHV WR WKHLU HOHFWLRQ ODZVZLWKWKHIHGHUDOJRYHUQPHQW3UHFOHDUDQFHVXFFHHGHGZKHUHDIWHU WKHIDFWOLWLJDWLRQKDGIDLOHGSURWHFWLQJWKHULJKWWRYRWHIURPERWKDSSDUHQW DQGVXEWOHIRUPVRIUDFLDOGLVFULPLQDWLRQLQWKHFRYHUHGMXULVGLFWLRQV ,QShelby County v. Holder WKH6XSUHPH&RXUWVKDFNOHG6HFWLRQRIWKH 95$ WKLV SRZHUIXO HQIRUFHPHQW WRRO E\ VWULNLQJ GRZQ 6HFWLRQ  ZKLFK LGHQWLILHGWKHMXULVGLFWLRQVWKDWKDGWRSUHFOHDUWKHLUHOHFWLRQODZV7KH&RXUW KHOGWKDW&RQJUHVVKDGYLRODWHGWKH³HTXDOVRYHUHLJQW\´RIWKHFRYHUHGVWDWHV LQ  ZKHQ LW UHDXWKRUL]HG WKH 6HFWLRQ  SUHFOHDUDQFH UHPHG\ ZLWKRXW FKDQJLQJ6HFWLRQ¶VFRYHUDJHIRUPXOD7KH&RXUWH[SODLQHGWKDW6HFWLRQ¶V IRUPXOD ZDV XQFRQVWLWXWLRQDO EHFDXVH LW ZDV ³EDVHG RQ \HDUROG IDFWV´ WUHDWLQJ DV LUUHOHYDQW HYLGHQFH WKDW SUHFOHDUDQFH LV QHFHVVDU\ WR DGGUHVV RQJRLQJ GLVFULPLQDWLRQ LQ WKH FRYHUHG MXULVGLFWLRQV²LQFOXGLQJ 6KHOE\ &RXQW\ZKLFKKDGDUHFRUGRIUHFHQWLQWHQWLRQDOYLRODWLRQVRIPLQRULW\YRWLQJ ULJKWV³>&@XUUHQWEXUGHQV´WKH&RXUWH[SODLQHG³PXVWEHMXVWLILHGE\FXUUHQW QHHGV´ 9RWLQJ ULJKWV DGYRFDWHV DQG HOHFWLRQ ODZ VFKRODUV KDYH SURSRVHG PDQ\UHIRUPVWRYRWLQJULJKWVHQIRUFHPHQWLQUHVSRQVHEXWWKDWLVQRWWKLV $UWLFOH¶VVXEMHFW ,QVWHDGWKLV$UWLFOH¶VVXEMHFWLVIHGHUDOLVP¶VOLPLWVXSRQUHPHGLHV7KLV $UWLFOH DLPV DW D QHZ ZD\ WR XQGHUVWDQG DQG WR FULWLTXH Shelby County ,W DUJXHVWKDWShelby CountyFUHDWHGDQHZVSHFLHVRID³ULJKWDJDLQVWDUHPHG\´ 7KLVQHZIRXQGULJKWDJDLQVWDUHPHG\LVXQXVXDO ZKHQFRPSDUHG WR RWKHU FRQVWLWXWLRQDOULJKWVWKDWPD\EHLQYRNHGDJDLQVWUHPHGLHV8QOLNHRWKHU ULJKWVDJDLQVWUHPHGLHVShelby County¶VHTXDOVRYHUHLJQW\GRFWULQHGRHV QRW WDNH VHULRXVO\ FRXQWHUYDLOLQJ FRQFHUQV DERXW WKH DGHTXDF\ RI WKH V\VWHPRIUHPHGLHVIRUYLQGLFDWLQJFRQVWLWXWLRQDOULJKWV7KH&RXUWQHLWKHU DFNQRZOHGJHG QRU H[SODLQHG WKLV XQXVXDO GLVWLQFWLRQ EHWZHHQ HTXDO VRYHUHLJQW\ DQG LQGLYLGXDO ULJKWV WKDWOLPLW UHPHGLHV 2QH SRVVLELOLW\ LV    See86&$† :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/    See 6KHOE\&QW\Y+ROGHU6&W   *LQVEXUJ- GLVVHQWLQJ    6&W   Id. DW  ³:H LVVXH QR KROGLQJ RQ †  LWVHOI RQO\ RQ WKH FRYHUDJH IRUPXOD>LQ†@´ 6HFWLRQRIWKH95$LVFXUUHQWO\FRGLILHGDV86&$†  :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/    Shelby Cnty.6&WDW   Id.DWsee alsoid.DW± *LQVEXUJ-GLVVHQWLQJ  GLVFXVVLQJ UHFHQWYRWLQJULJKWVYLRODWLRQVLQ$ODEDPD    Id.DW PDMRULW\RSLQLRQ  ³$VZHSXWLWDVKRUWWLPHDJRµWKH$FW LPSRVHVFXUUHQWEXUGHQVDQGPXVWEHMXVWLILHGE\FXUUHQWQHHGV¶´ TXRWLQJ1Z $XVWLQ0XQ8WLO'LVW1R2QHY+ROGHU86     See, e.g.5LFKDUG3LOGHVHWDO6\PSRVLXPThe Future of Voting Rights 1<8-/(*,6 38%32/¶<±±     @  EQUAL SOVEREIGNTY AS A RIGHT AGAINST A REMEDY  WKDWShelby County¶VUXOHLVSHFXOLDUWRFDVHVDERXWUDFHDVWKHPDMRULW\ PDGHQRVHFUHWRILWVDVVXPSWL (...truncated)