The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down
the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, ruling
that Congress had not provided adequate justification for subjecting
nine states, mostly in the South, to federal oversight.
“In 1965, the states could be divided into two groups: those with a
recent history of voting tests and low voter registration and turnout,
and those without those characteristics,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts
Jr. wrote for the majority. “Congress based its coverage formula on that
distinction. Today the nation is no longer divided along those lines,
yet the Voting Rights Act continues to treat it as if it were.”
Chief Justice Roberts said that Congress remained free to try to impose
federal oversight on states where voting rights were at risk, but must
do so based on contemporary data. When the law was last renewed, in
2006, Congress relied on data from decades before. The chances that the
current Congress could reach agreement on where federal oversight is
required are small, most analysts say.
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