President Holds Meeting With Civil Rights Leaders on Voting Rights
ACLU’s Laura Murphy Among Attendees
July 29, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
WASHINGTON – President Obama and senior administration officials met with civil rights leaders at the White House today to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder and the Voting Rights Act. The White House meeting comes on the heels of last week’s announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder that he will seek to use the remaining sections of the Voting Rights Act to subject certain jurisdictions to preclearance if they have been found to have engaged in intentional voting discrimination.
“It’s very encouraging to see the president and attorney general so proactive about protecting the right to vote for all Americans,” said Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office. “We look forward to continuing to work not only with the administration, but also with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to ensure that key provisions of the Voting Rights Act are restored.
“We join the president in his commitment to use all available resources to protect the crown jewel of the civil rights movement, including the administration’s actions last week to aggressively use remaining provisions of the Voting Rights Act to fight for the right of Americans to vote free from racial discrimination. This critical move was wholly consistent with the law’s remaining provisions and the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby.”
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