One Year Later, Cohen Scolds Republicans for Failure to Address Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act Decision

Press Release

One year after the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision that eviscerated voting rights protections, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) went to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and derided House Republicans for failing to support the Voting Rights Amendment Act which would restore the protections enshrined in the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Video of the Congressman's remarks on the House floor is available here, and a photo of the Congressman speaking at a Capitol Hill rally in support of the Voting Rights Amendment Act is available here.

"Chief Justice Roberts was wrong when he said the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed," said Congressman Cohen. "In the past, people have been beaten or even killed in the struggle to ensure the right to vote was available to all Americans. But we are still seeing efforts to curtail this constitutional right throughout the country, and it is clear that the law's protections are still critical in the fight against discrimination."

"Every Congressperson should support the Voting Rights Amendment Act to restore these protections that safeguard our democracy," the Congressman continued. "It is nearly impossible to find a Republican to support the bill and those who could be persuaded have already done so but I will continue to make the effort. The Supreme Court told us we need to modernize the Voting Rights Act, and we should not wait another day to do that. It's time to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act to ensure that the sacred right to vote is not denied to any American."

The Voting Rights Act was enacted only after years of those in the civil rights movement marching and in some cases being beaten or dying in the pursuit of voting rights. For 48 years, the Voting Rights Act has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. In a 5-4 decision delivered on June 25, the Supreme Court took a step backwards on the Voting Rights Act by holding that the formula in Section 4 of the Act was unconstitutional and could no longer be used.

In striking down Section 4, the Court put the civil rights of millions of Americans at risk by making enforcement of the Voting Rights Act more difficult. The Court did, however, leave the door open for Congress to revisit Section 4 and update the coverage formula to allow for proper enforcement. Congressman Cohen has asked to be added as a cosponsor of the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014, which would address the Supreme Court's ruling by creating a new coverage formula to identify states and localities that still have high risks of continued voter discrimination.

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