THE SUPREME COURT STEPPING BACK
The U.S. Supreme Court voted today and tore away a provision of the 1965 Civil Rights Act that was in place for over 50 years. The High Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. That provision of the landmark civil rights law that designates which parts of the country must have changes to their voting laws cleared by the federal government or in federal court. The 5-4 ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, ruled in Shelby County v. Holder The justification was that “things have changed dramatically” in the South in the nearly 50 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965.
Wanna bet? This provision ensured that v1oting jurisdictions that had a history of embedded racism would abide by the law of the land. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed it best when she wrote, “The 2006 reauthorization makes abundantly clear [that] second-generation barriers to minority voting rights have emerged in the covered jurisdictions as at¬tempted substitutes for the first-generation barriers that originally triggered preclearance in those jurisdictions." President Obama weighed in on the decision: I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent. As a nation, we’ve made a great deal of progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote. But, as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists. And while today’s decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination. I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls. My Administration will continue to do everything in its power to ensure a fair and equal voting process.
Congressman Matt Cartwright made this statement: I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.
Just as a reminder, this was one of the reasons why the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (with all of its provisions) was passed.