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Shock ruling from Republican-appointed appeals court prevents outside groups or citizens seeking to enforce voting rights law

A federal appeals court ruling Monday struck down significant enforcement of the Voting Rights Act in seven states, giving only the federal government -- and not citizens or private groups -- the right to sue.

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that only the U.S. government, not private parties, can sue under a landmark civil rights law barring racial discrimination in voting, a decision that would significantly hamper usage of the Voting Rights Act to challenge ballot access, voting rules and redistricting. The ruling, which will likely be appealed, could set up the next voting rights battle at the U.S. Supreme Court. The vast majority of Voting Rights Act cases are filed by private parties.

A federal appeals court issued a ruling Monday declaring that only the U.S. government, not private citizens and civil rights groups, can sue under the Voting Rights Act, a decision that would deal a major blow to the anti-discriminatory protections included in the landmark law. The ruling, issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for…

A divided federal appellate panel took a pipe to the knees of the Voting Rights Act Monday, handing down an eyebrow-raising decision that would severely curtail the effectiveness of the landmark civil rights law.