United States Second Circuit

The Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. section 1973, must be construed to not encompass prisoner disenfranchisement provisions such as that of New York because: 1) Congress did not intend the VRA to cover such provisions; and 2) Congress made no clear statement indicating an intent to modify the federal balance by applying the VRA to these provisions.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/26/2007
• Decided 05/04/2006
• Published 05/04/2006

Judges

• STRAUB, Circuit Judge:, Before WALKER, STRAUB, and POOLER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Second Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Juan Cartagena (Risa Kaufman, Craig Acorn, Paul Keefe, on the brief), Community Service Society of New York, New York, NY; Theodore M. Shaw, John Payton, Norman J. Chachkin, Janai S. Nelson, Jenigh J. Garrett, Ryan P. Haygood, Debo P. Adegbile, Alaina C. Beverly, Kristen Clarke, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., New York, NY, on the brief; Joan P. Gibbs, Esmeralda Simmons, Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY, on the brief; for Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Benjamin N. Gutman, Assistant Solicitor General (Andrew M. Cuomo, Attorney General, Michelle Aronowitz, Deputy Solicitor General, on the brief), State of New York, New York, NY, for Defendants-Appellees.