Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday that he directed the Justice Department’s Civil Right’s Division to shift resources to further enforce the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that were not impacted by last month’s Supreme Court decision, including Section 2, which prohibits voting discrimination based on race, color, or language.
The Supreme Court invalidated Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, the provision that determines which parts of the country are required to have to changes to their voting and election laws pre-cleared by the Justice Department.
In his speech at the NAACP 2013 Convention Tuesday, Holder said “this was a deeply disappointing and flawed decision.”
“It dealt a serious setback to the cause of voting rights. And, like all of you, I strongly disagree with the Court’s action,” he added. “It’s also why – although I remain disappointed with this outcome – I believe we must regard it not as a defeat, but as a rare and historic opportunity: for Congress to consider new legislation restoring and even strengthening modern voting protections – in a manner that’s consistent with the record established by one of the most effective civil rights laws in American history.”
