Northwest Austin Mun. Utility Dist. No. 1. v. Holder, No. 08-322

In an action seeking relief under the "bailout" provision in Section 4(a) of the Voting Rights Act, which allows a "political subdivision" to be released from the preclearance requirements if certain conditions are met, the dismissal of the complaint is reversed where the Act must be interpreted to permit all political subdivisions, including Plaintiff district, to seek to bail out from the preclearance requirements.

Read Northwest Austin Mun. Utility Dist. No. 1. v. Holder, No. 08-322

Appellate Information

Certiorari to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Argued April 29, 2009

Decided June 22, 2009

Judges

Chief Justice Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court.

Justice Thomas, concurring in the judgment in part and dissenting in part.

Counsel

Attorneys for Appellant:

Gregory S. Coleman, Yetter, Warden & Coleman L.L.P., Austin, TX

Attorneys for Appellees:  

Debo P. Adegbile, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, New York, NY

Renea Hicks, Law Office of Max Renea Hicks, Austin, TX

Elena Kagan, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC 

Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General, Washington, DC
   
Paul R.Q. Wolfson, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Washington, DC

Nina Perales, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, San Antonio, TX