Filed Date: Dec. 3, 2020
Case Ongoing
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This class action lawsuit, filed by the NAACP and several individual plaintiffs on December 3, 2020, challenged Tennessee's statutory scheme for people convicted of felonies to have their voting rights restored. Plaintiffs alleged that Tennessee’s voting rights restoration scheme was, at best, error-ridden and confusing, and at worse, discriminatory against indigent applicants. For example, plaintiffs alleged that at least one county (Rutherford) charged a fee for production of the Certificate of Restoration (COR). Plaintiffs sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that the statutory scheme violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment by depriving plaintiffs of their fundamental right to vote, and also alleged that the fees imposed a poll tax in violation of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment. Further, plaintiffs asserted violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The case was assigned to District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr of Tennessee's Middle District.
The plaintiffs sought to represent a class of Tennessee residents convicted of felonies who had completed their sentence, believed that they satisfied all other requirements to restore their voting rights under Tennessee, and had requested or planned to request a COR. They sought a permanent injunction requiring improvements to the voter restoration process and eliminating administrative fees for COR applicants.
On March 22, 2021, Judge Campbell signed a stipulated consent decree partially resolving the dispute. Rutherford county, the only county identified by the plaintiffs that charged administrative fees for CORs, would no longer charge such fees. The parties agreed to cover their own fees as it related to this issue.
This case is ongoing as of November 9, 2021.
Summary Authors
Jordan Katz (11/9/2021)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18713658/parties/tennessee-conference-of-the-national-association-for-the-advancement-of/
Campbell, William Lynn Jr. (Tennessee)
Frensley, Jeffrey S (Tennessee)
Baker, Natasha (District of Columbia)
Bowie, Blair S. (District of Columbia)
Gaber, Mark P. (District of Columbia)
Grant, Charles K. (Tennessee)
Haynes, Keeda (Tennessee)
Huling, Alice C.C. (District of Columbia)
Lang, Danielle (District of Columbia)
Mulji, Aseem (District of Columbia)
Campbell, William Lynn Jr. (Tennessee)
Frensley, Jeffrey S (Tennessee)
Baker, Natasha (District of Columbia)
Bowie, Blair S. (District of Columbia)
Gaber, Mark P. (District of Columbia)
Grant, Charles K. (Tennessee)
Haynes, Keeda (Tennessee)
Huling, Alice C.C. (District of Columbia)
Lang, Danielle (District of Columbia)
Mulji, Aseem (District of Columbia)
Paikowsky, Dana (District of Columbia)
Telfeyan, Phil (District of Columbia)
Christiansen, Nicholas Clinton (Tennessee)
Kleinfelter, Janet M. (Tennessee)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18713658/tennessee-conference-of-the-national-association-for-the-advancement-of/
Last updated May 12, 2022
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Tennessee
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Dec. 3, 2020
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Tennessee residents convicted of felonies other than those resulting in permanent disenfranchisement; have completed their sentence; and believe that they satisfy all other requirements to restore their voting rights under Tennessee law; and have requested or will request a COR from the pardoning or supervising authority.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Non-profit NON-religious organization
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Pending
Defendants
Commisioner (Nashville, Davidson), State
Coordinator of Elections (Nashville, Davidson), State
Secretary of State (Nashville, Davidson), State
Governor (Nashville, Davidson), State
County Clerk of Circuit Court (Murfreesboro, Rutherford), County
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Ex parte Young (federal or state officials)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Availably Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Issues
General:
Voting: