Farrakhan v. Washington

PAEZ, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiffs appeal the district court’s grant of summary judgment dismissing their claim that Washington state’s felon disenfranchisement scheme constitutes improper race-based vote denial in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (“Section 2”), 42 U.S.C. § 1973. Upon conviction of an infamous crime in the state of Washington, each plaintiff was disenfranchised, and none has had his voting rights restored.

The district court determined that although Washington’s felon disenfranchisement scheme disenfranchises a disproportionate number of African-American,…