On June 23, the Fifth Circuit voted to rehear Harness v Hosemann, 19-60632. This case was filed in 2019 against the Mississippi law that disenfranchises ex-felons. The U.S. District Court had upheld the law, and on February 23, 2021, the Fifth Circuit had also upheld it by a vote of 3-0. But the plaintiffs asked all the full-time judges of the Fifth Circuit to rehear the case, and they agreed. The court did not release the vote. It merely said that a majority of the judges voted for the rehearing.

Here is the original Fifth Circuit decision from February 2021. It is only seven pages and says this matter had already been settled by an earlier decision of the Fifth Circuit in 1998, Cotton v Fordyce.

On June 29, a 3-judge U.S. District Court refused Alabama’s request to force the Census Bureau to immediately release data needed for redistricting. The opinion says, “The Court cannot force the Bureau to do the impossible – that is, comply with an already-lapsed deadline.” Alabama v U.S. Department of Commerce, m.d., 3:21cv-211. Here is the opinion.

The Census Bureau says the data will be available on August 16.

On June 28, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB 1071, which makes it easier for cities to use ranked choice voting for their own elections. The bill requires the county elections department to run such elections for cities that want to use ranked choice voting.