VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — On March 9, 2026, Virginia Beach voters secured a hard-fought win for fair representation that ensures all voters in the city will continue to have a meaningful voice in local elections. An amendment to the city charter of Virginia Beach was officially adopted to codify a “10-1” election system — a fair, single-member district system that replaces a previous discriminatory partial at-large system — and ends a decades-long legacy of discrimination in how Black, Latino, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters elect their representatives in the commonwealth's largest city.

Following prolonged community advocacy to reform the election system, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) began representing Virginia Beach voters in their legal challenge for fair representation in 2018.

From 1966 until 2021, the city of Virginia Beach used an at-large method of elections to elect its City Council, which deprived Black, Latino and AAPI voters of the freedom to elect their preferred candidates to the City Council. In 2021, a federal court found that the city’s at-large election system was in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and ordered that all 10 members of the City Council be elected via single-member districts (with the mayor elected at-large), creating the 10-1 system.  

Following that ruling, a years-long series of twists and turns — including a public input process, a redistricting ordinance, an additional court ruling requiring a charter amendment, and further action from CLC — culminated in November 2025 when Virginia Beach voters successfully passed a referendum requesting the Virginia General Assembly amend the city charter to adopt the 10-1 system. Just months later, the 10-1 system is now officially law.  

“I first became involved in this case because I wanted our city to be a place where my children could have real, accountable representation, and this victory is proof that everyday people can make a difference. Now, with the 10-1 system in place, my children and the whole Virginia Beach community will have the opportunity they deserve to make their voices heard in our city government,” said plaintiff Latasha Holloway.

“In 2001, I stood before the Virginia Beach City Council and, alongside community partners, advocated for the 10-1 system of election. Now, 25 years later, that fair system of election is finally reflected in the Virginia Beach city charter. This victory took long, hard work, but it shows that we can make our voices heard if we continue to stand up and fight for our community,” said plaintiff Georgia Allen.

“Virginia Beach voters had to fight far too long for an election system that gives them an equal voice and fair representation,” said Simone Leeper, senior legal counsel for redistricting at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. “After decades of discrimination by the previous at-large system — which a federal judge ruled denied Black, Latino and AAPI voters ‘equal access to the electoral and political process’ — and a winding legal path, Virginia Beach voters can rest assured that they will have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice in the upcoming election and for elections to come.”

Read more about Virginia Beach’s fair election system here. Learn more about our case here.

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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events. 

WASHINGTON — On March 4, 2026, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG), urging them to investigate the use of government aircraft for at least 10 personal trips by Kash Patel, director of the FBI, without reimbursement. Patel may have violated federal travel rules and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch by misusing taxpayer-funded government resources.  

“The public has a right to know that government resources used by officials like the FBI director are done in service of the public’s best interest, and not for personal reasons,” said Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel and senior director of ethics at Campaign Legal Center. “We urge the DOJ’s Office of Inspector General to investigate the multiple personal trips the FBI director has taken on government aircraft and inform the public if he complied with the legal requirement to pay for that travel himself.”

FBI directors are required to use taxpayer-funded government aircraft for both official and personal travel. If an FBI director needs to use government aircraft for personal reasons, then they are required to reimburse the government for these expenses.  

Multiple media reports and publicly available data show that over the span of a year, Patel took at least 10 trips that appear recreational in nature — including a recent trip to the Milan Winter Olympics in February 2026.

A prior FBI director was investigated and fired for similar personal use of government aircraft. Campaign Legal Center urges the DOJ’s OIG to investigate Kash Patel and determine if he should also be held accountable.

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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Today, a federal court ruled that a fair congressional map proposed by the League of Women Voters Utah (LWVUT), Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) and individual voters — all represented by Campaign Legal Center — will remain in place ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. This is a major victory for voters and fair maps in the state of Utah.

State courts in Utah have repeatedly ruled in favor of a fair congressional map despite opposition from the Utah State Legislature. On February 2, 2026, a group of plaintiffs — including U.S. Representatives Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens, and several local elected officials — filed a federal lawsuit, claiming the current map violated the federal constitution’s elections clause. They asked the federal court to reinstate a map passed by the Utah State Legislature back in 2021 that was already ruled by state courts to be in violation of the Utah Constitution and Proposition 4.

Campaign Legal Center — on behalf of LWVUT, MWEG, and individual Utahns — intervened in the federal lawsuit to defend the fair map, asked the Court to dismiss the lawsuit, and opposed the request to block use of the fair map in the 2026 election. For decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that state courts have the power and obligation to impose lawful congressional maps when the state legislature fails to. That is exactly what happened here.

While anti-voter advocates have spent years trying to keep an extreme partisan gerrymander in place, this new ruling in the federal case ensures that voters in Utah will have a map that allows them to fairly choose their elected officials. Today’s ruling affirms that Judge Dianna Gibson had the power to impose the plaintiff's map.  

“The court recognized what the League has long emphasized, that last-minute attempts to disrupt election processes—particularly with rejected legal theories—risk creating confusion for voters and administrators alike,” said Caren Short, director of legal and research for the League of Women Voters. “Protecting access to the ballot includes ensuring stability and certainty as elections approach. We are thrilled that Utah’s fair maps are one step closer to being solidified.”

“Utah voters should not have to navigate uncertainty to participate in their elections,” said Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah. “We are pleased the court protected this fair map and we remain focused on protecting voters’ ability to make their voices heard. We only wish that the futile attempts to undermine this fair map would cease so we could focus on what is important to Utahns.” 

“Today’s federal court decision is a significant win for Utah voters,” said Emma Petty Addams, co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. “This federal lawsuit sought to undo a lawful, court–ordered congressional map. The court’s decision to reject that effort is an important affirmation that the rule of law matters. Utah voters deserve fair representation, and this victory is about protecting those voters - not politicians. 

“Today’s ruling affirms that Judge Gibson had the power and obligation under federal law to impose a lawful congressional map. The Utah Legislature chose not to do so and so the court was required to,” said Mark Gaber, senior director for redistricting at Campaign Legal Center. “We are proud to see Utahns’ continued efforts fighting for their right to fair maps and representation result in another major legal victory for our democracy. Both the state and federal courts have made it clear: Elections in Utah should be determined by voters, and not politicians who can manipulate voting maps.”

Follow the latest updates via Campaign Legal Center’s case page.

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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.