Much of the focus in advance of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act was on Section 5, which requires preclearance from the Justice Department or federal courts before a jurisdiction subject to the Voting Rights Act — those with histories of racial discrimination — can change their voting laws.
But the court did not rule on Section 5. Instead it struck down Section 4, which establishes which jurisdictions are subject to the extra scrutiny involved in preclearance. Think: old Confederacy states. So arguably the court went further in invalidating the law. More soon.