An appeals court ruling that said private parties cannot file VRA lawsuits goes against settled law, attorneys said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a lower-court ruling in a redistricting dispute in North Dakota that would gut a landmark federal civil rights law for millions of people. The justices indicated in an unsigned order that they are likely to take up a federal appeals court ruling that would eliminate the most common path people and civil rights groups use to sue under a key provision of the 60-year-old Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court blocked an appeals court ruling that would gut a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in a case brought by Native American tribes challenging a North Dakota legislative map.

The justices paused a lower court order pending a decision on whether the Supreme Court will take up the case, a major challenge to the Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court paused a lower court's ruling that would have weakened the Voting Rights Act on Thursday, granting Native American groups that brought the suit a temporary win. Why it matters: If the Supreme Court ultimately sides with the lower court,

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to prolong a temporary freeze on North Dakota’s legislative district map — hinting that the justices may be interested in hearing a tribal voting rights case against the state.

The Supreme Court on Thursday halted an appeals ruling that prevents private groups from challenging election maps under the Voting Rights Act in seven states. Neither the majority nor the three public dissenters — conservative Justices Clarence Thomas,