In February 2001, the ACLU, on behalf of Native American residents of Blaine County, sought to intervene in a suit brought by the US Department of Justice against Blaine County for a violation of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. The suit alleged that the “at -large” election scheme in Blaine County diluted the voting strength of the Native American voters, because the majority of non-Indian votes in the county had historically voted in a block to defeat Native American candidates. The District Court agreed that the system violated the Voting Rights Act and the Native American Blaine County residents were allowed to intervene in the suit to construct the new redistricting plan. After the new districts were adopted, Blaine County appealed, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling in April 2004.
