Federal judge approves election map settlement between Nebraska county and 2 tribes

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has approved an agreement between two tribes and an eastern Nebraska county that gives Native American voters a majority in five of seven county board districts. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. called the agreement a “fair, reasonable and adequate” settlement. The Winnebago and Omaha tribes alleged that Thurston County and its board of supervisors violated the Voting Rights Act with its previous district map in 2022. Thurston County is on Nebraska’s border with Iowa. Much of it overlaps the two tribes’ reservations. The Sioux City, Iowa, Journal reports that the settlement includes a new district map, which the county has approved for this year’s election.