“The fact of the matter is we have a Voting Rights Act; it is very strong.”
–Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chair of House Judiciary Committee, explaining his opposition to an updated Voting Rights Act.
(h/t Zack Roth)
Ari Berman has the scoop on a new “Voting Rights Advancement Act” (not to be confused with the earlier “Voting Rights Amendment Act”) to fix what many see are problems with the Supreme Court’s gutting of the precelarance provisions two… Continue reading
That was thanks to African-American voters giving him a victory in a hard fought Republican primary runoff. Cochran has done nothing to support the VRAA. Meanwhile, he cannot even remember if he met AG nominee Loretta Lynch. NYT:
The… Continue reading
Plain Dealer:
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said today that Congress should review the entire Voting Rights Act to evaluate how it is working. But he added that he doesn’t know if parts of it need to be strengthened.
This comes… Continue reading
I have written this new essay for BillMoyers.com. It begins:
When singer-songwriter John Legend recently declared “Selma is now” at the Academy Awards, we could perhaps chalk it up to poetic license. After all, states no longer use… Continue reading
Ari Berman:
The film Selma movingly chronicles Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight to win the Voting Rights Act (VRA). It ends with King speaking triumphantly on the steps of the Alabama capitol, after marching from Selma to Montgomery. Five… Continue reading
WaPo profile:
Conyers and House Democrats plan to spend this year drawing attention to ongoing concerns with voting rights after the Supreme Court invalidated parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The court struck down sections of the law… Continue reading
MSNBC:
A top Republican has all but confirmed that Congress won’t move forward with legislation to strengthen the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which was badly weakened by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who chairs the House… Continue reading