A nearly four-year-old legal case led by Black voters has reemerged as the 2024 US Presidential Election nears. The case aims to curb potential intimidation of voters and poll workers by former president Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Launched shortly after the 2020 election, the lawsuit has progressed slowly through the federal courts in Washington DC, partly due to Trump's legal claims of presidential immunity.
The case is now under the jurisdiction of US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is also handling Trump’s federal election subversion charges. The petitioners, Black voters from Michigan, allege that Trump, his campaign, and the Republican National Committee (RNC) engaged in efforts to disenfranchise them and other voters in predominantly Black urban areas, as per a CNN report.
They accuse the Republican Party of interfering with vote counting, making false challenges during recounts, and intimidation tactics. The lawsuit aims to get the court to oversee election activities and stop any actions that might scare voters or poll workers.
From the early 1980s until 2017, the GOP was under a court order that prevented it from intimidating or discriminating against Black voters. This lawsuit seeks to bring back similar oversight, but now it focuses on preventing intimidation of election workers, not just monitoring polls.
Rajiv Parikh, a lawyer with experience in similar cases, said that courts are essential in stopping intimidation, even if it wasn't meant to be discriminatory. The plaintiffs are also asking for money for damages from the 2020 election but might drop this request to speed up the case before the November election.
The plaintiffs are using the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which has been revived recently to tackle modern political violence and intimidation. This is especially relevant in swing states with many minority voters, where election officials are already facing growing threats.