One note on This Week in SCOTUS Rulings
Many people have been gnashing teeth and rending garments over the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which lists the jurisdictions covered by Section 5's preclearance requirements. And it seems clear, given the unnatural speed and unholy glee with which a lot of various elected officials in until-now-covered states have announced Voter ID bills and redistricting, that a lot of short-term damage is possible in the absence of VRA's protections.
But come on. Any VRA preclearance map which doesn't include Pennsylvania, one of the most racist jurisdictions in the nation, is clearly bullshit. At the very least, a better mechanism for adding new covered jurisdictions is clearly needed.
For that matter, we could just agree that the entire United States has an astonishing and depressing history of racism and implementing barriers to voting related to race, and extend Section 5 preclearance nationwide. I don't know if that would pass SCOTUS muster, but it would be fair. And it would acknowledge the extent to which the Southernization of American national politics had been hideously successful.
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, et vobis fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione
Originally posted at http://ccommack.dreamwidth.org/2013/06/29/one-note-on-this-week-in-scotus-rulings.html, and currently has
comments. Create your own Dreamwidth.
But come on. Any VRA preclearance map which doesn't include Pennsylvania, one of the most racist jurisdictions in the nation, is clearly bullshit. At the very least, a better mechanism for adding new covered jurisdictions is clearly needed.
For that matter, we could just agree that the entire United States has an astonishing and depressing history of racism and implementing barriers to voting related to race, and extend Section 5 preclearance nationwide. I don't know if that would pass SCOTUS muster, but it would be fair. And it would acknowledge the extent to which the Southernization of American national politics had been hideously successful.
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, et vobis fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione
Originally posted at http://ccommack.dreamwidth.org/2013/06/29/one-note-on-this-week-in-scotus-rulings.html, and currently has
comments. Create your own Dreamwidth.