Independent thinker
Diamond Member
- Oct 15, 2015
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Here it is folks, an easy to understand explanation of the recent Supreme Court decision.
Ever since the recent decision of the Supreme Court limiting the use of race in drawing congressional districts, there has been a steady drumbeat of criticism claiming that the ruling somehow took away the rights of blacks and other minorities.
Unfortunately, the legal language of Alito’s opinion is difficult for the average reader to penetrate, so it is worth stepping back and looking at the actual language of the Voting Rights Act itself. The part of the law at issue is Section 2.
No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.
In other words, you can't deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color, which includes both blacks and whites. Creating race based districts takes away the rights of the white voters in those districts.
Ever since the recent decision of the Supreme Court limiting the use of race in drawing congressional districts, there has been a steady drumbeat of criticism claiming that the ruling somehow took away the rights of blacks and other minorities.
Unfortunately, the legal language of Alito’s opinion is difficult for the average reader to penetrate, so it is worth stepping back and looking at the actual language of the Voting Rights Act itself. The part of the law at issue is Section 2.
No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.
In other words, you can't deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color, which includes both blacks and whites. Creating race based districts takes away the rights of the white voters in those districts.
