In a 5-4 split, the Supreme Court modified the map provision in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Shelby County brought the case to the Supreme Court.
The court held that “Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional; its formula can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to pre-clearance.”
Up until today, the section 4 provision in the Voting Rights Act required nine states to get approval from the Justice Department or a special panel of judges before they change their voting laws. The provision within the law applies to 12 cities and 57 counties.
According to Chief Justice Roberts: “Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to the current conditions.”
Congress will now be responsible for redrawing the map.
The act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Congress has renewed it four times, and the 2006 renewal won a huge majority in the House and passed the Senate 98-0. That renewal extended the law through 2031.