North Dakota Tribes Re-file Legal Challenge to Protect Indigenous Voting Rights

Attorneys for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe have filed a new amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, continuing a multi-year effort to protect Indigenous voting power. As reported by Kalle Benallie for ICT, the legal action filed on August 28 follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in May that returned the case to lower courts under a new legal standard. The tribes, alongside individual Native American plaintiffs, allege that the state’s 2021 legislative map unlawfully dilutes their voting strength. The complaint in Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe argues that the current redistricting plan violates the U.S. Constitution by sorting voters by race without sufficient justification. Spirit Lake Tribe Chairman Lonna Jackson-Street stated that while the legal rules have shifted, the underlying facts of discrimination remain, and the tribes are prepared to prove the map’s unfairness once again. A federal court had previously found in late 2023 that the 2021 map deprived Native American voters of an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Under that map, Native Americans held zero seats in the Senate and two in the House, whereas the tribes' proposed alternative would yield one Senate seat and three House seats. Native American Rights Fund (NARF) staff attorney Lenny Powell noted that the plaintiffs are now seeking to show how the new standard applies to their evidence of a Voting Rights Act violation. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Turtle Mountain Chippewa Chairman Jamie Azure emphasized that the pursuit of a fair district is about ensuring a voice for the community. The case serves as a significant marker for Indigenous political representation in the United States, as tribal nations continue to challenge systems they believe were designed to weaken their collective influence.