FRC Cheers Voting Rights Act Ruling

"There will no longer be a special category for these 15 states -- many of which are now at the forefront of elected minorities! From now on, these regions will have the same equal opportunity to define their voting laws as anyone else. For too long, states like Alabama, which brought the lawsuit, have been prisoners of history. Instead of punishing them for past mistakes, this ruling finally takes states out from under Washington's thumb and gives them a fresh start. In recent days, the Voting Rights Act has been a tool for a liberal and politically-motivated DOJ to shape laws to its advantage. And in an administration as corrupt as President Obama's is proving to be, the less power it has over the states, the better!" - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, who has ties to the KKK and who keynoted a convention of white supremacists, via email.

Facebook Meme Of The Day

LGBT Rights Groups Denounce Supreme Court's Ruling On Voting Rights Act

LGBT Rights Coalition

We, America’s leading LGBT advocacy organizations, join civil rights organizations – and indeed, all Americans whom this law has served to protect – in expressing acute dismay at today’s ruling. Not only had Congress repeatedly reaffirmed the need for this bedrock civil rights protection, but authoritative voices from across America had filed amicus briefs urging the court not to undermine the law: the NAACP; the American Bar Association; the Navajo Nation; the states of New York, California, Mississippi and North Carolina; numerous former Justice Department officials charged with protecting voting rights; dozens of U.S. senators and representatives; and many others.

These varied and powerful voices attest to the self-evident reality that racial protections are still needed in voting in this country. As recently as last year’s elections, political partisans resorted to voter suppression laws and tactics aimed at reducing the votes of people of color.  Voting rights protections, which have long served our nation’s commitment to equality and justice, should not be cast aside now. The court has done America a grave disservice, and we will work with our coalition partners to undo the damage inflicted by this retrogressive ruling.

The above was co-signed by Lambda Legal, Freedom To Marry, National Center for Lesbian Rights, HRC, Pride At Work, GMHC, GLAD, National Black Justice Coalition, Family Equality Council, The Task Force, PFLAG, and several others.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Portion Of Voting Rights Act Of 1965

From NBC News:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the map that determines which states must get federal permission before they change their voting laws. The ruling, a 5-4 decision by Chief Justice John Roberts, leaves the future of the law deeply uncertain because it will be up to a sharply divided Congress to redraw the map.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote for the court. Under the law, nine mostly Southern states must get permission from the Justice Department or a special panel of three federal judges before they make changes. The rule also applies to 12 cities and 57 counties elsewhere.

More from ABC News:

Chief Justice John Roberts said for the conservative majority that Congress "may draft another formula based on current conditions." That task eluded Congress in 2006 when lawmakers overwhelmingly renewed the advance approval requirement with no changes in which states and local jurisdictions were covered, and Congress did nothing in response to a high court ruling in a similar challenge in 2009 in which the justices raised many of the same concerns.

"The coverage formula that Congress reauthorized in 2006 ignores these developments, keeping the focus on decades-old data relevant to decades-old problems, rather than current data reflecting current needs," Roberts said. The decision means that a host of state and local laws that have not received Justice Department approval or have not yet been submitted will be able to take effect. Prominent among those are voter identification laws in Alabama and Mississippi.

The National Journal:

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires counties with a history of passing laws that target minority voters to seek Justice Department approval when changing voting laws, applies to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, along with several other counties and cities across the country.

The case was brought forth by Shelby County, Ala., which claimed that the days of racist voting laws are gone, citing the reelection of a black president. The case argues that these Southern states, which the law applies to, should have the right to independently change their statutes without the Justice Department's approval. The county did not argue that there was racism at one point in the South, which unfairly targeted minority voters. The Justice Department's position is that there are still several jurisdictions that need to be monitored. Racism, they said, is not over in the country, where voter intimidation and restrictive voting laws still exist.