Interesting Quote: Attorney General Eric Holder

“The Department of Justice will continue to carefully monitor jurisdictions around the country for voting changes that may hamper voting rights. Let me be very clear: we will not hesitate to take swift enforcement action — using every legal tool that remains available to us — against any jurisdiction that seeks to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling by hindering eligible citizens’ full and free exercise of the franchise. Like many others across the country, I am deeply disappointed with the Court’s decision in this matter,” the attorney general said. “This decision represents a serious setback for voting rights - and has the potential to negatively affect millions of Americans across the country.”

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And so it begins... Texas is taking advantage of the Voters Rights Change

This is how the foolishness starts

Within two hours of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act, Greg Abbott, the attorney general for the state of Texas, announced that a voter identification law that was blocked last year by the Justice Department would go into effect.

“With today’s decision, the state’s voter ID law will take effect immediately,” he said in a statement. “Redistricting maps passed by the legislature may also take effect without approval from the federal government.”

In March 2012, the Justice Department objected to Texas’ voter identification law, finding that under certain data sets “Hispanic registered voters are more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic registered voters to lack such identification,” and that the locations and hours of license offices made it difficult for many Hispanics to attain that identification.

Texas also sought clearance through the an appeals court in Washington, which offers a separate track for jurisdictions under the Voting Rights Act. In a unanimous opinion, the three-judge panel ruled that the voter ID law would hinder minority turnout and impose “strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor.”

This is how things fall apart. I hope Holder knocks this down.

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Supreme Court: Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act Unconstitutional

This could be a scary time.

Today, SCOTUS said Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.

What does that mean? Well, the judges limited key provision in the original Act and invalidated the key enforcement provision that applies to all or some parts of 15 states with a history of voter discrimination. SCOTUS wants Congress to fix the key parts of the Voting Rights Act.

The message is race is no longer an issue and we have to trust lawmakers and their intentions. Too bad, I don't. We saw what happened in 2012 and these folks are still trying to suppress the vote.

It will be up to Congress to come up with a new plan for the states and these voting laws will need to be cleared by the government or in federal court. And if Congress has to fix this, then we are in for one Hell of a show.

I need a cocktail and two piece