Voting Rights Restrictions Given Free Rein By Supreme Court,
In a major blow to voting rights, the Supreme Court allowed a law to stand that a lower court found discriminatory. (AP News)
“The court’s 6-3 ruling upheld voting limits in Arizona that a lower court had found discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act. It was the high court’s second major decision in eight years that civil rights groups and liberal dissenting justices say weakened the Civil Rights-era law that was intended to eradicate discrimination in voting.
The decision fueled new calls from Democrats to pass federal legislation, blocked by Senate Republicans, that would counter the new state laws. Some lawmakers and liberal groups also favor Supreme Court changes that include expanding the nine-justice bench.”
Voter suppression is the name of the game in state houses nation wide and that will continue unabated with the latest ruling from the Supreme Court. Unconcerned that another court found the Arizona law discriminatory, the conservative majority cast any concerns aside and gave the GOP a wink wink, nod nod. We can now expect a renewed push to ensure GOP voters comprise a larger share of the electorate even though their numbers are decreasing. If people are prevented from expressing themselves at the voting booth they inevitably find other ways and often in the form of violent protests.
