Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that drastically undermines a central provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that has been used for more than half a century to fight racial discrimination in voting and prevent the disenfranchisement of Black Americans and other voters of color. In response, Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
This terrible decision is part of the right-wing majority’s continued attack on democracy, civil rights, and the American people. The court is hiding behind the guise of racial neutrality to undermine civil rights laws designed to protect voters of color from racism that still persists, especially across the South. Justice Alito and his cohorts simply wave off any evidence of ongoing racial discrimination and greenlight a political power grab for states to erase congressional districts that protect Black and Latino voters.
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