Undoing the Voting Rights Act

Abstract

On July 1, 2021, in the case of Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the Supreme Court issued eighty-five pages of opinions concerning a new interpretation of a 1982 amendment to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Steve Suitts, who was involved in the Congressional hearings and debate that led to the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 1982, provides this primer on what the majority opinion holds, its contradictions and shortcomings, and its dangerous implications for voting rights.

Keywords

• Politics and Government
• African American History
• Race Relations