Voting Rights Act news stories on Newser

Justice Dept. Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

Kevin Spak — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:44:05 CDT

The Obama administration has stepped in to block a controversial Texas law requiring voters to have a special ID card, on the grounds that it discriminates against minorities, particularly Hispanics. The Justice Department concluded that there was little evidence of voter fraud that would justify the law, and that it...

Supreme Court Axes Texas Electoral Map

Kevin Spak — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:11:45 CST

The Supreme Court threw out a federal court's draft of a Texas electoral map, saying it strayed too far from the one drawn by the state's Republican legislature. The decision, which was issued by the court as a whole, rather than signed by an individual justice, is a near-term win...

Bush Enjoys Cheney's Attacks

Kevin Spak — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:04:56 CST

George W. Bush today offered his first public endorsement of Dick Cheney’s repeated attacks on President Obama. “I’m glad Cheney is out there,” Bush declared at a reunion breakfast for administration alumni. But he said he would personally continue avoiding the spotlight. “I didn't like it when a certain former...

Roberts Labors to Bring Divided Court Together

Jason Farago — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:35:38 CDT

John Roberts told the Senate in 2005 that the Supreme Court was too polarized, and as chief justice he promised to encourage harmony between the court's left and right blocs. Last week he delivered, with two 8-1 decisions on the Voting Rights Act and the strip-search of a 13-year-old girl....

Court Will Quash Key Voting Act Provision—Next Time

Harry Kimball — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:20:02 CDT

Today’ non-decision by the Supreme Court on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is actually a stern repudiation, Tom Goldstein writes for SCOTUSblog. Reading between the lines, Goldstein surmises that the court will strike down Section 5 when the next challenge comes if Congress does not significantly alter it...

Supreme Court Sidesteps Major Voting-Rights Ruling

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:04:09 CDT

The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas district from a key provision of the law, but side-stepping the larger constitutional issue. The act requires Southern areas with a history of discrimination to get advance federal approval before changing election...

Tiny Town's Move May Redefine Voting Rights Act

Matt Cantor — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:27:49 CDT

A Supreme Court case may soon bring about a momentous change in the nation's voting laws, all because a Texas town of 3,500 moved a polling station three blocks, the Wall Street Journal reports. A local official made the switch to a more convenient location, galled that he needed...

Supreme Court Limits Power of Voting Rights Act

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:26:33 CDT

The Supreme Court ruled today that a part of the Voting Rights Act aimed at helping minorities elect their preferred candidates only applies in electoral districts where minorities make up more than half the population, the AP reports. The decision could make it harder for some minority candidates to win...

High Court to Hear Challenge to Voting Rights Act

Harry Kimball — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:23:01 CST

The US Supreme Court agreed today to hear a case that challenges a central section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act designed to protect minority voters in discriminatory districts, the New York Times reports. Section 5 of the law, which forces many Southern states and select districts elsewhere to get...