Reactions to Shelby County: Richard Epstein

Richard Epstein applauds the decision, taking on Rick Hasen’s NY Times op-ed, here:

In his New York Times op-ed, “The Chief Justice’s Long Game,” Richard L. Hasen, a noted authority on voting rights, takes deep umbrage at yesterday’s Supreme Court decision inShelby County v. Holder, which he regards as an illicit part of a long-term agenda to dismantle some of the major safeguards of the Civil Rights era. He is wrong, I believe, in dealing both with the merits of the issue and the larger social context of which it is a part.

The Roberts opinion struck down Section 4 of the 2006 Amendments to the Voting Rights Act, but left Section 5 untouched. Section 5 allows the use of an exhaustive preclearance system in which affected states have to submit any and all changes in voting requirements, broadly construed, to the federal government for approval. The overturned Section 4 sets out the states that are subject to this onerous regime. In 1965,  Section 4 included nine states, mostly Southern. With the 2006 amendments, those 40-year old classifications were fixed in place for another 25 years.

More here.

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