ACLU Comment on Justice Department Plans to Help Protect Voting Rights in Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. today said he will ask a federal judge to require Texas to submit all voting law changes to the Justice Department for approval due to the state’s history of discrimination. The move follows the recent Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder invalidating a critical part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Holder said the department intends to “fully utilize the law’s remaining sections to subject states to preclearance as necessary.”
Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, said, “Although no substitute for bipartisan congressional action to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, we welcome the Justice Department’s plans to use the law’s remaining sections to reimpose the preclearance requirement in parts of the country where there is a long-standing pattern of voting rights violations. We similarly intend to use all available resources to fight for the right of Americans to vote free from racial discrimination.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. today said he will ask a federal judge to require Texas to submit all voting law changes to the Justice Department for approval due to the state’s history of discrimination. The move follows the recent Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder invalidating a critical part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Holder said the department intends to “fully utilize the law’s remaining sections to subject states to preclearance as necessary.”
Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, said, “Although no substitute for bipartisan congressional action to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, we welcome the Justice Department’s plans to use the law’s remaining sections to reimpose the preclearance requirement in parts of the country where there is a long-standing pattern of voting rights violations. We similarly intend to use all available resources to fight for the right of Americans to vote free from racial discrimination.”
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.
The Latest in Voting Rights
-
New Motions Filed in Lawsuit Challenging Georgia’s Omnibus Anti-Voter Law Seek to Defend Against Racial Discrimination and Remove Barriers to Absentee Voting
-
Voting and Immigrants’ Rights Advocates Sue Over New Florida Law That Targets Voter Registration, Civic Engagement, and Political Speech
-
Honoring the Past, Paving the Future: Enhancing Voter Registration
-
Here's How Georgia's New Voting Law Harms Voters With Disabilities
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About Voting Rights
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. The ACLU works to protect and expand Americansʼ freedom to vote.