Rep. Hank Johnson’s statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court issued its decision in Shelby County v. Holder that invalidates Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act:

“The Court today engaged in historic overreach, ignoring their own precedents and disregarding evidence of ongoing discrimination at the polls. A call for strong, swift action by the Congress is now front and center. I will work with all my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to ensure voters have every necessary protection. In 2006, during the last renewal of the landmark Voting Rights Act, Congress conducted more than 21 hearings with nearly 100 witnesses and amassed a 15,000-page record documenting the ongoing discrimination against minority voters. This is occurring not only in states with a history of discrimination. Most recently, we have seen an uptick in attempts to disenfranchise voters in many other jurisdictions around the country. The Voting Rights Act is as necessary today as it was almost 50 years ago. Congress must act quickly to strengthen it.”

###