Top House Republican on VRA: Not 'Necessary' To Restore Key Part
Not 'Necessary' To Restore Key Part Of Voting Rights Act…
House Republicans have concluded that it's not "necessary" to restore the portion of the Voting Rights Act that was recently struck down by the Supreme Court, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Wednesday.
The Supreme Court ruled in June 2013 that Section 4 of the landmark 1965 law, which required certain parts of the country with a history of minority voter suppression to clear changes to their voting laws with the federal government, was invalid. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that those regions were outdated and that Congress needed to re-designate which regions require special scrutiny.
"To this point, we have not seen a process forward that is necessary because we believe the Voting Rights Act provided substantial protection in this area," he said.
Goodlatte said Wednesday that his committee had reviewed the effects of the court ruling and concluded that the Voting Rights Act is strong enough in its current form.
Congress failed to advance a bipartisan bill last year to reinstate the portion of the Voting Rights Act that was struck down, Section 4, and prospects for action in this Congress were already looking dim. Republicans control both chambers now and only a handful of them signed on to the House bill put forward last year. The Senate bill had no GOP co-sponsors.
Not only is it outright demeaning, but as Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has said: it is offensive that House Republicans refuse to restore Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act and fight for the right of all Americans to participate in our democracy, ensuring every single citizen has the right to vote.