The U.S. Supreme Court will meet privately in conference Friday to consider whether to grant review of Segovia v. United States, a voting rights lawsuit that seeks to expand voting rights in the U.S. territories. Neil Weare, president and founder of Equally American, a nonprofit that advocates for equality and civil rights for Americans living in the territories, said in a Monday press release that the news is “momentous.” “The federal government’s response to hurricanes Maria and Irma has demonstrated just how important it is that Americans living in U.S. territories enjoy the same right to vote as their fellow citizens,” said Weare in the press release. “We hope the Supreme Court will take the opportunity to consider whether voting rights can be arbitrarily protected or denied based on where one happens to live outside the 50 states.”
The Supreme Court could announce its decision whether to grant review in Segovia as early as Oct. 9, according to Weare.
The lawsuit in question stems from lead plaintiff Luis Segovia, a Guam resident and military veteran who, earlier this year, joined others from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to file a petition to the Supreme Court for expanded voting rights in the territories.
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