“On this anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we must say again that it is not right to erect barriers that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
By MYAH WARD
08/05/2021 08:57 PM EDT
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday urged Congress to act to protect the voting rights of millions of Americans.
Garland’s plea fell on the eve of the 56th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, in signing the bill, called “one of the most monumental laws in the entire history of American freedom.”
“On this anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we must say again that it is not right to erect barriers that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote,” Garland wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post. “And it is time for Congress to act again to protect that fundamental right.”
The attorney general wrote about how the 1965 Voting Rights Act gave the Justice Department power to block “discriminatory voting changes,” while providing a check on this power. This authority was later gutted by the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which has left the department powerless when it comes to voter protections, Garland wrote.
“Instead, the Justice Department has been left with costly, time-consuming tools that have many of the shortcomings that plagued federal law prior to...
Read Full Story: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/05/garland-congress-voting-rights-502662
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