On 51st Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Congressman Cohen Renews Call on Congress to Restore its Full Protections
[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, today marked the 51st anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and called on Republicans in Congress to allow a vote on bipartisan legislation to restore the VRA. Three years ago, in Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court invalidated a key component of the VRA that prevented discrimination before it occurred. Since then, new restrictions have been put in place in 22 states since 2010, making it harder for millions of Americans to exercise their right to vote.
“The right to vote is the most fundamental right of citizenship in our democracy. Yet for most of our nation's history, many of our citizens, particularly African-Americans, were denied this most basic right,” said Congressman Cohen. “My colleague and friend Congressman John Lewis marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL for the right to vote on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965.
Fifty-one years ago today, our nation took a momentous step toward correcting that injustice when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. The Supreme Court was wrong to undermine the Voting Rights Act in 2013 by striking down a key provision preventing voter discrimination, and Congress needs to fix it. It is a sad irony that in the 1960s, John Lewis was beaten over the head by Alabama State Troopers and is now being beaten again by the Supreme Court and the failure of Republicans in Congress to act.
I am a co-sponsor of legislation that would restore the Voting Rights Act to its full effectiveness. Congress should commemorate the anniversary by passing this legislation to ensure equal voting rights for all.”
The Voting Rights Act was enacted only after years of those in the civil rights movement marching and in some cases being beaten or dying in the pursuit of voting rights. For 48 years, the Voting Rights Act helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. But in a 5-4 decision delivered on June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court took a step backwards on the Voting Rights Act by holding that the formula in Section 4 of the Act was unconstitutional and could no longer be used.
In striking down Section 4, the Court put the civil rights of millions of Americans at risk by making enforcement of the Voting Rights Act more difficult. The Court did, however, leave the door open for Congress to revisit Section 4 and update the coverage formula to allow for proper enforcement.