Opinion ID: 1292120
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Federal Claims

Text: Town argues that Butler did not properly amend his complaint at trial to include a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. We find that none of Butler's federal claims were properly before the circuit court. Butler raised the following federal causes of action for the first time on appeal to the circuit court: (1) violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution; and (2) violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C. § 1973 et seq. In addition to these claims, Butler argues that he properly amended his complaint in circuit court to include a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. As discussed above, the circuit court serves an appellate function for municipal election contests pursuant to section 5-15-140. Consequently, it was improper for the circuit court to have considered Butler's federal claims. However, even assuming Butler's claims were properly before the circuit court, we find that no federal laws were violated in this case.