A Half Century Later, We Need the Voting Rights Act More Than Ever

Abstract

Two years ago, the Supreme Court determined that voter discrimination is a thing of the past. The Court\u27s decision to gut the 1965 Voting Rights Act ensures that this summer\u27s 50thanniversary commemoration is an ironic one. We needed the legislation in 1965, the Court argued in its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down the formula that made the act enforceable, but we don\u27t anymore. [excerpt