On August 16, the Fifth Circuit issued an 18-page opinion in Organization for Chinese Americans v State of Texas, 16-51126.  The decision agrees with the U.S. District Court that a Texas law, requiring interpreters at the polls to be registered voters of that county, violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

The opinion is by Judge Patrick Higginbotham (a Reagan appointee), and is also signed by James Graves and Stephen Higginson, Obama appointees.  The Fifth Circuit did say that the U.S. District Court’s injunction was broader than it needed to be, and sent it back to have it re-written.  The U.S. District Court had believed that Texas won’t permit interpreters if a polling place official knows the particular foreign language and can interpret instead, but the Fifth Circuit said that is not a correct interpretation of Texas law, and furthermore that issue was not part of this lawsuit.

The individual voter who brought the case in the beginning, and who wanted her 16-year-old grandson to interpret for her, had died before the case was decided in U.S. District Court.  Texas argued that therefore the case is moot, but the U.S. District Court and the Fifth Circuit agreed that the co-plaintiff Organization for Chinese Americans also has standing.

Last year, Project Vote sued the Arizona Secretary of State over the high price for a member of the public to obtain the list of registered voters.  Mostly in response to the lawsuit, this year the legislature passed HB 2412, which lowers the cost of obtaining the statewide list electronically from approximately $30,000 to approximately $500.

Afterwards, Project Vote withdrew the lawsuit, which had been Project Vote, Inc. v Reagan, 2:16cv-1253.

On August 17, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the initiative petition that would set up a non-partisan commission to draw U.S. House and legislative district boundaries.  Here is the web page of the proponents of that initiative.  Thanks to Thomas Jones for the news and the link.