Supreme Court hears case that questions major plank of voting rights

"But over the last 12 years, the increasingly conservative Supreme Court has hollowed out that law, leaving only one major provision standing. Now that provision is in danger of being struck down, too. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act aims to ensure that minority voters are not shut out of the process of drawing new congressional districts. When the law was passed in 1965 there were just six African-American, four Hispanic and two Asian or Pacific Islander members of the House of Representatives."

"This Congress started out with 63 African-American, 51 Hispanic, and 21 Asian or Pacific-Islander representatives or delegates in the House. Much of that change has been driven by the rules of the road under the Voting Rights Act. All of that could change, however, if the court removes the guardrails to redistricting that it endorsed just two years ago. Indeed, if the Supreme Court either nullifies Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act or makes it much more difficult to enforce,"

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, calling it a triumph for freedom. The Supreme Court has eroded much of the law over the last 12 years, leaving primarily Section 2 as the key enforcement tool. Section 2 seeks to prevent minority voters from being excluded during congressional redistricting. Minority representation in the House grew substantially since 1965, driven largely by the Act's rules. A pending Supreme Court case with facts similar to a recent Alabama decision could nullify or weaken Section 2, and studies project that such a change could cost Democrats as many as 19 House seats.

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