Judicial · Federal
Shelby County v. Holder guts the Voting Rights Act's preclearance shield
- Direction
- -2 — major harm to Freedmen
- Force
- 1.00 — enacted, vetoed, or final
- Status
- Decided
- Date
- 2013-06-25
Why this rating
Decided June 25, 2013, Shelby County v. Holder struck down the coverage formula in Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, deactivating the Section 5 preclearance that had required federal approval of voting changes in jurisdictions with histories of discrimination. Rated -2: it disabled the enforcement engine of the single most effective law protecting the lineage's franchise, and covered jurisdictions moved quickly to change voting rules once freed of review.
Summary
Decided June 25, 2013, Shelby County v. Holder struck down the coverage formula in Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, deactivating the Section 5 preclearance that had required federal approval of voting changes in jurisdictions with histories of discrimination. Rated -2: it disabled the enforcement engine of the single most effective law protecting the lineage's franchise, and covered jurisdictions moved quickly to change voting rules once freed of review.
Sources
- Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013) — Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center — court opinion · primary · historical
Rated under the published impact rubric. Direction records what a measure would do if fully effective; force records how far it has actually travelled. Neither is inferred — both trace to the sources above. Think something here is wrong? Tell us and we will log the correction.