Press Release - Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Supreme Court Upholds Voting Rights Act in Section 5 Challenge
Statement of Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
June 22, 2009
"In today's near unanimous decision, the Supreme Court recognized the continuing relevance of the Voting Rights Act in its entirety and Congress' role in protecting the right to vote for all Americans.
While the Voting Rights Act ended overt devices like poll taxes and literacy tests, it continues to serve as an important check against more disguised, but equally pernicious, forms of discrimination. Today's decision reaffirms safeguards for minority voters in jurisdictions with a documented history of discrimination."
