Sixty years after the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, the very protections that marched Americans from Selma to the ballot box are hanging by a thread.
Today marks the 60th anniversary, and under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the Justice Department has pulled back on enforcement.
Courts are now questioning whether everyday people — not just the government — can sue when their voting rights are violated.
If the Supreme Court rules against a private right of action, communities of color may have no legal recourse.
That would mean no way to challenge racial gerrymandering — like what’s happening in Texas — rising voter suppression, or unfair election maps.
It’s dangerous, especially as the Department of Justice has dismantled its civil rights unit and Republicans have pushed federal ID laws targeting Black, brown, Native and immigrant voters.
What is left if Americans can’t even defend their own right to vote?
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
