Lawyers and law students alike gathered for a panel discussion about the controversial case Shelby County v. Holder, which will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on February 27th. The issue in this case is whether Congressional re-authorization of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires certain states to submit changes to election practices and procedures for review by the federal government in order to prevent discriminatory voting laws, is constitutional. Those who challenge the law argue that the re-authorization exceeds Congressional authority under the Fifteenth Amendment, in violation of the Tenth Amendment and Article IV of the United States Constitution.

Featuring:

• Natasha Korgaonkar, Assistant Counsel, Political Participation Group, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
• Jerry Vattamala, Staff Attorney, Democracy Program, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Elizabeth B. Wydra, Chief Counsel, Constitutional Accountability Center
• Erika L. Wood, Associate Professor of Law, New York Law School
• Ekow N. Yankah, Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

And moderated by:

• Ari Berman, Writer, The Nation; Investigative Journalism Fellow, The Nation Institute