Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Down goes Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act

Today, in Shelby v. Holder, the Court's much-anticipated decision regarding the Voting Rights Act, the Court ruled that Section 4 of that act is unconstitutional. Section 4 contains the so-called "coverage formula," used to determine which jurisdictions will be subject to Section 5. Section 5, in turn, requires that certain jurisdictions "pre-clear" any voting changes with the federal government. The Court ruled that the coverage formula, based on voter registration and turnout information from the '60s and '70s, is invalid.
Much more to come. 

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