SCOTUS upholds North Dakota state House district on Native American reservation
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a North Dakota state House district on an American Indian reservation, rejecting a challenge by local Republican officials.
The Republicans' lawsuit had previously been rejected by a three-judge court that found North Dakota lawmakers had good reason to create the district to give Native Americans a better chance to elect their candidate of choice, under the federal Voting Rights Act.
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation had asked the justices to leave the district in place.
In a separate case, a federal appeals court is weighing a lower-court ruling that ordered a new joint North Dakota legislative district for two other tribes that had argued that the redistricting plan adopted by lawmakers in 2021 diluted their voting strength. The new district was used in the 2024 elections.