Updated: Sept. 21, 2011 1:03PM
A federal judge nominated by President George W. Bush has upheld the constitutionality of a part of the Voting Rights Act that requires certain parts of the country to have their election laws precleared by the federal government to prevent unlawful discrimination, shooting down a challenge from Shelby County, Alabama.“Bearing in mind both the historical context and the extensive evidence of recent voting discrimination reflected in that virtually unprecedented legislative record, the Court concludes that ‘current needs’ — the modern existence of intentional racial discrimination in voting — do, in fact, justify Congress’s 2006 reauthorization of the preclearance requirement imposed on covered jurisdictions by Section 5, as well as the preservation of the traditional coverage formula embodied in Section 4(b),” U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates wrote.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=106906