Updated: Supreme Court Begins Oral Arguments on Section 5
Updated, Wednesday, 1:08 p.m.:
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act appears to be in danger of being overturned, according to various news outlets covering oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
“A majority of the Court seems committed to invalidating Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and requiring Congress to revisit the formula for requiring preclearance of voting changes. The vote seems quite likely to be five to four,” wrote Tom Goldstein, the publisher of SCOTUS blog, the high court’s official blog site, soon after arguments began.
The rule requires that a ...
Comments (5)
Another 99%
As long as any state, especially Texas, thinks one political party has the right to manipulate any election, thus compromising the,“.... will of the people”, these laws need to be there.
All this manipulation is in clear violation of the, 15th Amendment to the Constitution, and those who plot, and manipulate elections, should be arrested and punished to set precedence, to future voting manipulators.
These violations should be used in elections to give citizens, clear to the voters, those who do not represent them.
Mike Openshaw via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I find in interesting that the author did not bother to talk to the OTHER S Turner in the House: Scott Turner. Or Stefani Carter or James White, Or someone from Ted Cruz's office. Nor mention the last usage of Section 5 on redistricting came down to protecting the districts of two ANGLO Democrat incumbents. You might want to have talked to members of the party that has extended the reach of minority representation outside the realm of carefully crafted minority districts.
we are WELL PAST the need for UNEQUAL treatment of ANY state on this issue. Treat them ALL the same, because those days are passed for all but the tiniest minority of people in this state- or any other. Content of character is what matters- at least on the majority side of the aisle in Texas.
Lorna Presswood via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The question will be for the Court whether they will go against congress on the extension of sec.5 for another 25 yrs past it's shelf-life. The Court rarely goes against congress..I agree with the comment above that sec.5 has been used heavily on Texas' rights of redistricting and to stop the voter i.d. law-it shouldn't have been extended. We will just have to see what the Court decides.
Pickles Sorrell
Don't forget J.M. Lozano a Republican who was elected in a majority minority district.
When the VRA was reauthorized in 2006, it was set up for failure when they inserted the clause in Section 5 that in effect says, "Prove to us (the DOJ) that you did NOT intend to discriminate." As a retired paralegal, I knew that this was an impossible standard and would ultimately be struck.
You can hear the sand leaving the bottom of the hour glass on Section 5. And Trey Fischer knows this (that's the name he always used before he decided to go into politics). I think this case and the example of what happened in Texas redistricting are enough to push Justice Kennedy to end Section 5. With that will be the fifth vote to overturn.
It's time: Section 5, R.I.P., 1965-2013
Charles Voith
I have little doubt that tens-of-thousands of legal and illegal immigrants vote illegally in federal elections...some accidentally, but most on purpose; and that tens-of-thousands of dead people still vote...due to fraudulent political operatives (can you spell ACORN??); and that tens-of-thousands vote more than once...thanks to highly partisan voter poll workers in big cities (can you spell ACORN again??).
LBJ was the king of voter fraud (read Texas history). It all began for him with the south Texas precinct ballet box stuffed with fraudulent votes that put LBJ over the top to win his first U.S. senate race in 1948.