This may be the most destructive SCOTUS since Justice Taney et al. decided Dred Scott. First Citizens United; now this.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, ruling that Congress had not provided adequate justification for subjecting nine states, mostly in the South, to federal oversight.
“In 1965, the states could be divided into two groups: those with a recent history of voting tests and low voter registration and turnout, and those without those characteristics,†Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority. “Congress based its coverage formula on that distinction. Today the nation is no longer divided along those lines, yet the Voting Rights Act continues to treat it as if it were.â€
Does Justice Roberts live on the moon? Has Justice Roberts even visited this country?
I linked it in the last post, but a lot of what Chris Hayes says here applies to the SCOTUS and this decision — the nature of the South; the sort of people who rise to prominent positions.
“Ever since we passed a law banning voting tests and poll taxes, there haven’t been any voting tests and poll taxes. Therefore, we don’t need a law banning voting tests and poll taxes.”
Does Justice Roberts think he’s fooling anyone?
I haven’t read a single thing about this ruling. I’m totally in the dark about who voted how, but I’m betting that however Scalia voted Thomas was right behind him like a shadow voting the same way.. Am I right?
Of course I’m right. Just like the laws of physics; Scalia and Thomas’s voting pattern is immutable.
In Roberts defense, he looks over at the other folks on the SC, and sees a black man. He looks at the President who berated him for his Citizens United, and sees another black man.
And all of the “right” people in DC, assure him that, because of what he sees, it’s proof that we live in a “Post-racial” America.
A country where there are no efforts to suppress the rights of minorities to vote, by state legislatures in Red States. Those laws, he’s assured, are to eliminate, “Voter Fraud.”
The part of the country he sees, and has seen all of his life, doesn’t acknowledge racism – it’s just not the polite thing to do.
And, if people didn’t “make it,” they have no one but themselves to blame. There are fine women and minorities all around him, in the DC Village. Women like Liz Cheney, Senator Kelly Ayotte, and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn – and fine African-Americans like former Presidential candidate Herman Cain, former Congressman Allen West, and Senator Tim Scott, and Hispanic-Americans, like Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Not a sell-out among them!
Not one single Judas to their gender, or race, or ethnic origin!!!
The part of the country CJ Roberts visits, maha, is just fine, thank you.
And the moon you think he lives on, casts a pale glow over DC, and so, only pale males should be allowed to cast votes. And, of course, the “right” women and minorities.
All is now “right” again in America – the “right to vote,” is now back on it’s way to being, the ‘white to vote.’
I don’t see the ruling as even being necessary.. In Florida with 30% of all black males being convicted felons without the right to vote, who needs poll taxes or literacy tests to discourage voter participation. Nothing says disenfranchisement like a felony. It’s the political gift that keeps on giving.
If people can’t see what a mockery was made of voting rights in Florida this past election cycle by the Repuglican political establishment, than clearly they don’t want to see it because it suits their purposes.
As someone who lives in a newly Confederated state, I understand part of this ruling. Voter ID was passed pretty quickly after the GOKKK took the state, with an eye toward suppressing voters in Milwaukee. Living in a state that has changed dramatically from the initial VRA, one where we were not included but currently should be, I call for changing the requirements. I say any place with an elected republican in office needs pre-clearance.
My parents were adults during the 1930s, 1940s and the 1950s. They left us a liberal leaning country with a strong labor movement and one that was progressing (ever so slowly) in the direction of equality.
Somehow it got away from ‘us.’ My generation and the next one coming along has enjoyed the fruits of my parents generation labor and apparently not put in enough effort to keep the country moving in the right direction.
We have some one as dumb as W on the SCOTUS. Clarence Thomas should never have been confirmed. I do not understand how he graduated from law school and passed the bar.
The country that I thought (was hoping) to leave to my grand children is gone. Between the Koch Bros and extremely large businesses the United States of America has disappeared.
Roberts is a veal calf who grew up going to private schools as the son of a high corporate executive, apparently without much exposure to the real world. Now he works to extend the power of corporate interests and expand the wealth and privilege of the wealthy and privileged that made his life comfortable, and to hell with all the peons outside his little circle. The Repukes picked him well.
HuffPo has a link to a video of Rep. John Lewis commenting on the decision. For once I’m glad I’m firewalled from videos at work; the sight of that great hero for civil rights having to grasp this betrayal… I’d be sobbing.
Do any of you live in a southern state! Why do you bitch about things you don’t have a clue. Your talking about things a generation ago let it go. People move on. Just because it’s hotter down here and we walk and talk a little slower because of the heat . We don’t think slow. Move on brother
Several of the regulars do, yes.
The attempts at voter suppression in 2012 were not a generation ago. It was last year. Stop being ignorant.
Do any of you live in a southern state!
Doug’s county holds the Florida state record for lynchings.. The county where I live only has one to its credit, but that’s because it used to be part of Doug’s county until it broke away in 1911 and we only lynched one negro since becoming our own county.
Ah, but the town where I live has the distinction of being the most prolific port on the Gulf side of Florida for the importation of slavery into Florida.
I think I understand southern culture and history.
I live in Florida – you can’t get any further South. The pattern of voter suppression in Florida since the current governor took office is pretty obvious. One of the first moves was to place a high barrier to a felon who had served his time from getting his voting rights back. I’m not sure a lot of ex-cons try to get into voting but f they DO want to become involved – become a part of society, we should welcome them not treat them as permanent second-class citizens. That’s implicit in the word ‘rehabilitation’. The laws which many of the states have passed (including Florida) to disenfranchise ex-cons were written by ALEC in secret. It’s part of a conspiracy ( a word I seldom use) to reduce minority voting.
The governor of Florida was ‘caught’ attending a Koch bros weekend function he kept off the public agenda. You are known by the company you keep – but when you want to keep secret who your buddies are, that’s even more telling.
The League of Women Voters did not sign up new voters in Florida – because the rules (which were later struck down by a federal court) were so restrictive, and the threat of penalties so high for minor infractions – they waited for suits to be settled rather than risk the retribution for signing up people to vote.
The Governor cut back the number of days of early voting and games were played with staffing or machines (in democratic districts, by coincidence) so that people had to wait for hours to vote. A judge in South Florida on election day ordered polling places to be kept open for hours after the scheduled close so that people in line before the polls closed would be allowed to vote.
Chris – take that stuff and spread it around the garden where it will do some good. It’s smelling up the place here – and we know it what it is by the odor.
Don’t think for a second that Roberts et al. didn’t know exactly what they were doing. As someone else said, this is the last throw of the dice for the Republican Party as currently constituted. Their only hope is to suppress the vote of Democratic voters and hope thereby to scrape out one or two more big election victories (most likely in the House, perhaps in the Senate; very unlikely for the White House) and thus delay the inevitable ultimate crackup of their national status. The Supreme Court under Roberts has become simply the judicial subsidiary of the Republican Party and the US Chamber of Commerce. They know exactly what they’re doing and any pretense otherwise is just a show for the cameras and a cover story for their spinners (or bait for their more naive apologists).