Eric Holder to Moderate 2026 Hutchins Forum on Redistricting, Courts, and Voting Rights

A live discussion on voting rights and redistricting controversies is scheduled for Aug. 20, with Former Attorney General Eric Holder serving as moderator for the 2026 Hutchins Forum, which is being hosted under the theme "Balance of Power: Redistricting, Courts, and the Right to Vote." The program is being aired as a watch-live event by PBS NewsHour Politics.

The event description says the forum is centered on the role of courts in disputes that arise during the redistricting process, and on how those legal battles can affect election administration in practice. It is framed around the period approaching the midterm elections, when states and local jurisdictions continue to finalize district boundaries and election procedures.

Holder’s participation as moderator, according to PBS NewsHour Politics, places a high-profile former federal legal official at the center of a conversation that focuses specifically on the interaction between election rules, litigation, and the constitutional and statutory rights implicated by redistricting.

The Hutchins Forum title, "Balance of Power," indicates that the discussion is intended to examine how power is allocated across institutions, including the balance between state election authorities and federal courts when conflicts reach the litigation stage.

Ahead of the midterms, redistricting and election-related court cases often become key timing issues for election administrators, election boards, and candidates, particularly when lawsuits challenge map designs or related voting rules. The forum is organized to address those court-driven moments and how they can influence what happens on the ground.

The live event is presented by PBS NewsHour Politics as a viewing program for the public, with Holder moderating a discussion that is described as focused on the "right to vote" alongside the redistricting process and the courts’ involvement.

The forum’s framing indicates that the program will concentrate on election governance through the lens of litigation and judicial review rather than on legislation alone, reflecting the reality that many disputes about district boundaries and election rules are resolved through court proceedings.

The Aug. 20 forum is scheduled as a live broadcast, and viewers are directed to watch the program as it takes place, with the moderators and speakers addressing redistricting and court cases as the midterm election cycle approaches.