Supreme Court Hears Voting Rights Act Challenge Brought By Shelby County, Alabama

Despite our progress, discrimination continues to limit opportunities for African Americans and other people of color. The Voting Rights Act remains an essential tool in defending the voting rights of African-American voters and other voters of color who live in places with the worst and most persistent history of discrimination in voting.

“In one of the most closely watched tests of the reach of the Voting Rights Act this year, Texas has just submitted its proposed redistricting changes to a federal court — not the U.S. Justice Department — for approval. Some Republican governors and attorneys general have advocated bypassing the Obama administration, arguing that they will get a less politicized answer from the courts, even though a Justice Department spokeswoman says the Attorney General has objected to only about “1 percent” of the proposals since the law was enacted.”