Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice held a hearing entitled, “The Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court’s Decision in Shelby County.”  Following his opening remarks, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

“As the crown jewel of our nation’s civil rights laws, I was deeply dismayed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder to strike at the heart of the Voting Rights Act.  However, I am heartened by the fact that less than a month following the Supreme Court’s decision, both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees are now holding hearings on this important matter.  I hope that it is in this bipartisan, bicameral spirit that Congress can work to restore and embolden the Voting Rights Act.”

“The Voting Rights Act has worked to rid our nation of legal barriers to discrimination at the voting booth, and paved the way for the election of the first African-American to the White House. Yet, the successes of this legislation does not mean that the work of the Voting Rights Act is complete.

“In 2006, I worked with my colleague from across the aisle, then Chairman Sensenbrenner, to compile a voluminous record.  This was the basis of support for reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which documented exhaustive evidence that concluded voting discrimination continued well into the 21^st Century.  We worked carefully to update the Act so that it would pass legal scrutiny and protect voters from well-documented, continuing discrimination.  In two separate amicus briefs, bipartisan senior members of the Judiciary Committee successfully argued against legal challenges to the 2006 reauthorization.

“It is for these reasons that my colleagues and I were so disappointed following the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the coverage formula in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, stating that it was outdated. This decision effectively suspended Section 5 of the act,  which requires Justice Department preclearance for historically discriminatory jurisdictions before they implement voting changes. The suspension of this Section 5 preclearance deprives the Justice Department of a critical tool that has been used to protect the voting rights of minority citizens. It is now in Congress’s hands to restore these vital protections.

“I joined the Judiciary Committee in 1965 so that I could work on legislation like the Voting Rights Act because I had seen firsthand the stain that discrimination placed on our democracy. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision,  I reaffirm my commitment to full equality under the law and robust voting rights protections for all.”

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