Source: United States Senator for Vermont Patrick Leahy
“I am deeply disappointed by this decision which is a body blow to yet another critical pillar of the Voting Rights Act – our nation’s marquee law protecting Americans’ precious and foundational right to vote. By overriding Congress’s clear intent in crafting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act – affirmed over and over again with overwhelming bipartisan support – a partisan majority on the Court has yet again made it easier for states to suppress the vote with impunity and harder to protect it.
“Despite the growing wave of voter suppression tactics that we are witnessing, the Court seems intent on gutting the key instruments we possess to ensure that all our voices are represented in our elections. Along with its previous partisan decision in Shelby County v. Holder, the majority on the Court today has cast its vote against millions of American voters who simply want the chance to participate in their democracy. Now, more than ever, Congress must come together across party lines and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which I intend to reintroduce in the next several weeks. ”
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