BREAKING NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court invalidates key portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. SCOTUS rules that Congress needs to update the voting rights act. The court has struck down the portion that protects minority voters.
The court ruled that “Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. Its formula can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance.”
The justices said in a 5-4 ruling that the law Congress most recently renewed in 2006 relies on 40-year-old data that doesn’t reflect racial progress and changes in U.S. society. It said the Voting Rights Act cannot be enforced until Congress comes up with a new way of determining which states and localities require close federal monitoring in elections, the Washington Post reports.
SCOTUS did not strike down the advance approval requirement of the law that has been used mainly in the South to open up polling stations to minority voters but they said Congress must update the formula for determining which parts of the country must seek the approval of Washington D.C. for election changes.
In other words, Congress (Republican or Democratic majority) can come up with any formula to suppress the black and Hispanic vote, pending review from the Supreme Court. This is a sad day for this country and an even sadder day for blacks and Hispanics.
The opinions are towards the end of the document:
This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.