Supreme Court Upends 1965 Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upended the 1965 Voting Rights Act, ruling that Jim Crow-era discrimination no longer justified requiring selected states to obtain Washington's approval before changing their election practices around measures such as legislative redistricting and voter-identification laws.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act has been a longstanding pillar of civil-rights era legislation—a supervision of ballot procedures in states that historically suppressed minority votes, primarily in the South.

In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court decided 5-4 that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional and that such an oversight within individual states was no longer relevant nor necessary.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries representing the 8th District, which covers Bed-Stuy, called the ruling “disheartening” and one that ignores continued efforts to disenfranchise voters of color. 

While most Republicans supported the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006—it passed overwhelmingly in Congress and was signed by President George W. Bush— congressional Republicans today have made an about-face.

However, earlier this year in March, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia openly expressed his desire to use the Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the 50-year-old law, because he believed political pressures would prevent Congress from doing so on its own.

"I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any senator to vote against continuation of this act," Scalia said during a Supreme Court hearing. 

"And I am fairly confident it will be reenacted in perpetuity unless -- unless a court can say it does not comport with the Constitution. That’s the concern that those of us who have some questions about this statute have. It’s a concern that this is not the kind of a question you can leave to Congress."

Following Tuesday's decision, President Barack Obama wrote in a statement that he was "deeply disappointed,” as it invalidated one of the core provisions of the Voting Rights Act that “help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent," he said.

Jeffries added, “We are not far removed from the great struggle that people of color faced in this country just five decades ago in order to attain fair and equal representation based on citizenship, not the color of their skin.”

He urged Congress to act immediately: “With its decision, the Supreme Court failed the nation. For the sake of our democracy, Congress must not.” 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg agreed: "Today’s decision by the Court puts the onus on Congress to bring Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act into the 21st century, and Congress needs to find a way to come together and do so immediately.”