(Bismarck, ND) — A circuit court is ruling against North Dakota tribes in a voting rights case. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Spirit Lake Nation don’t have legal standing to claim voting discrimination against the state. The decision overturned a North Dakota federal judge’s ruling, which found the state’s redistricting plan unlawfully weakened the tribes’ voting power. The court’s decision is only binding in the 8th Circuit states, including North and South Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska.
