A federal appeals court issued a ruling Monday that could gut the Voting Rights Act, saying only the federal government — not private citizens or civil rights groups — is allowed to sue under a crucial section of the landmark civil rights law.

The decision out of the 8th Circuit will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court. But should it stand, it would mark a dramatic rollback of the enforcement of the law that led to increased minority representation in American politics.

[This should be a fun case to watch at SCOTUS, assuming they take it at all. One has to wonder whether they’ll bother, though. This decision technically only sets precedent in Eighth District states, which is mainly the Midwest. Only Arkansas in that circuit might be a state with heavy VRA implications. Unless this generates some inter-circuit conflict, the justices may decide not to get involved for now. — Ed]