Hansi Lowong

For decades, legal protections for racial minority voters under what's known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act have been mainly enforced through lawsuits by voters and advocacy groups.

But Republican officials in North Dakota, Mississippi and Alabama have made a novel argument that only the Justice Department can sue.

The Supreme Court is set to discuss this Thursday how it will handle three redistricting cases that question whether private individuals and groups can keep suing under Section 2.

Last month, the court made it harder to use that part of the Voting Rights Act to claim that maps of certain voting districts discriminate against minority voters of color.

The three redistricting cases now on the court's conference schedule could end up further weakening the landmark law from the civil rights movement.

Anzila Wong, NPR News.

The Postal Service relies on stamps and service fees, not tax dollars, to deliver mail six days a week to just about every address in the country.

But with people sending a lot less mail than past decades, USPS ended this fiscal year's second quarter with a net loss of $2 billion.

Postmaster General David Steiner says USPS has already raised shipping prices, cut workers' hours, and stopped payments to its pension plan.

Sanders says Congress should change laws to let the Postal Service borrow more money and reform its retirement plans.

Hansi Lewong, NPR News.

There are only hours left to register to vote in North Carolina's primary election.

Eligible voters there can sign up and cast a ballot at early voting sites until 3 p.m.

Eastern if they bring their proof of residence and a photo ID.

And in Illinois, Sunday is the last day to register online.

After that, Illinois voters can sign up at election offices through the last day of voting on March 17th.

Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas are also preparing to hold statewide primary races next month.

It's too late to register for those, but eligible voters still have months left to sign up to cast ballots in this fall's general election.

If you're already registered, you may want to confirm your status before those deadlines.

Voters can sometimes fall off a list, especially if they move, change their name, or haven't voted in a while.