Appeals court curbs election lawsuits alleging discrimination

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that voters alleging discrimination in election rules have no standing to sue, a ruling that could have a sweeping impact on voting rights if adopted by other courts .

The Eighth United States Court of Appeals, in a two-to-one decision, held that private plaintiffs could not sue under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a fundamental provision of the law of 1965 which prohibits discriminatory electoral practices. Instead, only the U.S. attorney general can bring such suits, the court said.