14th Amendment Archives | Page 3 of 6 | American Democracy Minute

What is the Equal Protections Clause and How Have Interpretations of It Changed?

January 27, 2025January 27, 2025

The Equal Protection Clause, embedded in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, is now being used to dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act, opening the door to even more voter suppression. What’s its history, and why is it being used now?

Alabama SOS Sweeps Up Naturalized Citizens In Move to Root Out Supposed Noncitizen Voters, Spurs Lawsuit

September 19, 2024September 19, 2024

Shortly after taking office, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen directed state election officials to invalidate voter registrations of immigrants who had been issued a Permanent Resident, or “green” card by the U.S. Government. In his zeal to root out noncitizens, he apparently invalidated eligible U.S. naturalized citizens as well.

After Raising the Bar to Prove Racial Gerrymandering in South Carolina Case, the U.S. Supreme Court Reopens a 2022 Arkansas Redistricting Case

June 4, 2024July 22, 2024

Is the U.S. Supreme Court aiming to take yet another chop at the 1965 Voting Rights Act? An Arkansas redistricting case has been sent back to a lower court after last week’s new rules making it harder to prove racial gerrymandering.

Analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court’s South Carolina Gerrymandering Decision Finds Disturbing Guidance for Lower Courts

June 2, 2024June 2, 2024

We reported last week on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in a South Carolina case, finding no racial gerrymandering when 30,000 Black voters were moved to dilute Black voting power in the state’s 1st Congressional district. Scholars found even more voting rights damage in the fine print.

U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Reverses Colorado Court’s Removal of Donald Trump from the State’s Ballot

March 4, 2024March 4, 2024

In a unanimous decision March 4th, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to remove Donald Trump from the Colorado State ballot, ending state efforts to enforce the 14th Amendment’s Section 3.