Supreme Court’s decision....is a constitutional train wreck of historic proportions

[Ms. Toad]

10. Take a look at what he actually said,

When the Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965, Roberts wrote, “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. 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.”

And the special enforcement provisions in Section 5 were left intact.

This decision can just as easily be read as racism is alive and well, but not just in the south - it doesn't say racial discrimination is a thing of the past. It says the lines are not the same as they once were, and it is unconstitutional to pretend they are.

I don't know how he/they intended the decision - but I would love to have Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act applied to Pennsylvania, for example, with its aggressive attempts at voter suppression by strict voter ID, which fell most heavily on minority communities. That provision didn't apply to Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania was free to enact Voter ID laws that were delayed in implementation, but are back in play now. At the same time similar provisions were blocked in the south.

Despite the bemoaning going on, I see this as an opportunity to have the provisions of the VRA apply not just to the south - but other states as they demonstrate their intent to suppress voting rights in a way that disparately impacts minorities.

(And, yeah, I have my flame retardant jammies on.)