Justice Department Joins CIR in Challenge to Voting Discrimination

On November 28th, the U.S. Justice Department filed an amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit in support of CIR client Dave Davis and his case against racial voting discrimination in Guam. The Justice Department brief fully supports CIR’s case and urges the Ninth Circuit to uphold our earlier victory in district court. The brief argues that “Guam’s plebiscite law intentionally discriminates based on race against non-Chamorros.”

The Justice Department affirmed that discriminating against non-Chamorro voters is a violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and that full constitutional protection applies to citizens of U.S. territories. The DOJ’s intervention in this case is a big boost to CIR’s efforts to end voting discrimination in Guam and across the country. You can read the Department of Justice’s brief here.