Washington, DC –Today, on news that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a 2-1 ruling,  Constitutional Accountability Center released the following statement:

CAC Chief Counsel Elizabeth Wydra said, “The Court of Appeals’ important ruling, handed down in the middle of a contentious election season, was absolutely correct in recognizing that the right to vote is among the most important guarantees of political liberty in the U.S. Constitution. Deferring to the considered and bi-partisan judgment of Congress that the Voting Rights Act is still necessary today, the Court respected our Constitution’s text and history.”

CAC Civil Rights Director David Gans said, “Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is as important now as ever to prevent racial discrimination in voting. At a time when the right to vote is under assault in many of the states covered by the Voting Rights Act, the court’s decision today is a powerful reminder that our Constitution grants Congress substantial power to ensure that the right to vote is enjoyed by all persons regardless of race.”

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Resources:

*  CAC’s “friend of the court” brief to the Court of Appeals in Shelby County v. Holder: http://theusconstitution.org/cases/shelby-county-v-holder

*  CAC’s analysis of the lower court decision in Shelby County last September: http://theusconstitution.org/text-history/3160

*  “The Constitution at a Crossroads: Enforcing Civil Rights: Will the Supreme Court Strike Down the Voting Rights Act and Other Landmark Civil Rights Legislation?” http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/85256353?access_key=key-231ou0yem3p5bckgbefp

*  Two judges appointed by President George W. Bush have voted to uphold the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act in the Shelby County cases (Judge John Bates in the U.S. District Court last September and Judge Thomas Griffith in the U.S. Appeals Court today.

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Constitutional Accountability Center (www.theusconstitution.org) is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history.

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