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PDFThe State Attorney General of Alabama has officially backed Shelby County’s fight to have Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act declared unconstitutional. This looks like a case destine for the Supreme Court.
From Al.com:
Shelby County, a mostly white and strongly Republican area, sued the U.S. Justice Department last year over the decision by Congress in 2006 to extend the historic civil rights-era law by another 25 years. The county’s case, financed by a nonprofit interest group, argues that the law is outdated and too much of a burden because it requires that local election procedures get approved in advance by the federal government.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act applies to all or part of 16 states, including Alabama, with a history of discrimination against minority voters. U.S. District Judge John Bates in the District of Columbia ruled against Shelby County in September. In his decision, he deferred to Congress and the evidence it gathered of recent discrimination at the ballot box, leading up to a strong bipartisan vote to renew the law. Shelby County appealed, and the case will be heard Jan. 19 by a panel of three federal appeals court judges in Washington.
No matter the outcome, the case seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices already have shown an interest in deciding whether Section 5 still is necessary.
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