AG Eric Holder, Rep. Lewis Blast Republican Efforts To 'Steal' 2012 Elections [View all]

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May 30, 2012

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder told African-American clergy leaders Wednesday that a wave of new state laws on voting and legal challenges to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 may jeopardize rights they helped fight for in the civil rights era.

“Despite our nation’s long tradition of extending voting rights … a growing number of our fellow citizens are worried about the same disparities, divisions and problems that — nearly five decades ago — so many fought to address,” Holder told a meeting of the Conference of National Black Churches convened by the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the laws.

“In my travels across the country, I’ve heard a consistent drumbeat of concern from citizens, who — often for the first time in their lives — now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up to one of our nation’s most noble ideals. And some of the achievements that defined the civil rights movement now hang in the balance.”

. . . Holder told the clergy leaders Wednesday that at least nine lawsuits have been filed over the last two years challenging the constitutionality of Section 5 of the act — which requires states with a history of racial discrimination to get federal approval for changes in their voting procedures — and arguing that it’s no longer needed because the states under it have made great strides in ensuring that voting access is fair and nondiscriminatory.

“I wish this were the case,” Holder said. “But the reality is that, in jurisdictions across the country, both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common — and have not yet been relegated to the pages of history.”

read more: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/CONGRESS-VOTING_8131232/CONGRESS-VOTING_8131232/


One of those cases was filed by Shelby County and is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle whether Section 5 -- which puts elections in certain parts of the country under especially strict supervision - remains Constitutional.

Congress renewed the Voting Rights Act in 2006 for another 25 years, prompting multiple lawsuits by those who believe local and state governments in the South should no longer be punished for past sins of discrimination against minority voters.

Holder, in prepared remarks to the National Conference of Black Churches Annual Consultation in Washington D.C., disputed that view.

"Each of these challenges to Section 5 claims that we've attained a new era of electoral equality, that America in 2012 has moved beyond the challenges of 1965, and that Section 5 is no longer necessary," Holder said in remarks provided by the DOJ. "I wish this were the case. But the reality is that, in jurisdictions across the country, both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common - and have not yet been relegated to the pages of history."

Shelby County just recently lost its case, again, with a 2-1 decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia upholding key sections of the Voting Rights Act. Holder mentioned the ruling in his speech, too.

"As we've seen over the years, the Voting Rights Act - including Section 5 - consistently has been upheld in court," Holder said. "In fact, several days ago, the D.C. Circuit rejected one of the latest challenges to Section 5, reaffirming its continued relevance as a cornerstone of civil rights law, and underscoring the fact that it remains critical in combating discrimination - and safeguarding essential voting rights that, for many Americans, now are at risk."

read more: http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2012/05/us_attorney_general_eric_holde.html