On September 17, two briefs were filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v Callais, 24-109. Both briefs argue that Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act violates the U.S. Constitution. Here is the brief of the voter who filed the case. Here is the brief of the state of Louisiana.
On September 16, Minnesota held a special election to fill the vacancy in the State Representative district 34B seat. The results: Democratic 60.82%; Republican 39.11%.
When the district last held an election, in November 2024, the results had been: Democratic 63.08%; Republican 36.74%.
On September 16, the Third Circuit refused to order Pennsylvania election officials to put Brandon Pugh on the November 4, 2025 ballot as the Republican nominee for Mayor of Lyons Borough. Pugh v Berks County Board of Elections, 25-2724. Pugh had received more write-in votes in the Republican primary for that office than anyone else (no one was on the primary ballot). But he couldn’t be nominated because the number of write-in votes he received was fewer than ten, and the Pennsylvania law required write-in candidates to get at least ten write-ins. If he had been on the primary ballot, and no one else had outpolled him, he could have been the nominee even if he had only one write-in vote.
The Third Circuit order said the constitutional issue is not being decided in today’s action.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe still hasn’t acted on HB 1, the bill that redraws Missouri’s U.S. House districts.
On September 15, the Utah State Supreme Court refused to block an order from a lower state court that requires the legislature to redraw the U.S. House districts. Currently all four districts are held by Republicans. League of Women Voters v Utah State Legislature, 2025 UT 39.
