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The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Spirit Lake Nation asked the full 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a three-judge panel’s decision that they lack standing to challenge North Dakota’s 2021 redistricting plan. The 2-1 panel ruling overturned a federal district court’s finding that the map diluted Native voting power by splitting reservations into separate districts. The panel didn’t address whether the map was discriminatory, instead ruling that private parties cannot use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to file discrimination lawsuits. If the ruling stands, North Dakota reverts to the 2021 map, potentially moving three lawmakers to different districts. The corrected map led to the election of three Native American legislators in 2024, including the first Spirit Lake Nation member in the state Legislature.
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