10 Years Since Shelby County: How Democracy Advocates Can Fight Back

The Supreme Court has made a series of anti-democratic decisions in the last decade, including Shelby County v. Holder, which eviscerated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by gutting the incredibly important “preclearance” process.
 

Preclearance dramatically transformed the freedom to vote for Black voters in the South by requiring states and localities with a history of racial discrimination to get voting law changes cleared by the Department of Justice or a three-judge federal court panel before going into effect.
 

Shelby County v. Holder was decided 10 years ago, but it continues to restrict Black voters’ freedom to vote to this day.
 

While the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Allen v. Milligan, which upheld the validity of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—a vital tool designed to make democracy more equitable and accessible for voters of color—is heartening, there is a long way to go to achieve the promise of a fully equal, inclusive and accessible democracy.
 

During the event, CLC’s panel of experts will discuss how Shelby County v. Holder and Allen v. Milligan have impacted access to democracy and examine the fringe independent state legislature theory that the Supreme Court is weighing in Moore v. Harper.

At 3:00 PM Eastern on Wednesday, June 28th, join Campaign Legal Center for a virtual event to discuss how pro-democracy advocates can make democracy more inclusive through creative measures like state Voting Rights Acts, independent redistricting commissions and other commonsense measures. Moderated by Gilda R. Daniels, CLC's Voting Rights Consultant, our panel will also feature Senior Vice President, Paul Smith alongside Mark Gaber, Senior Director of Redistricting and Director of Strategic Litigation, Kevin P. Hancock.