The supreme court’s takedown of American democracy is complete | Austin Sarat
Summary
On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court weakened section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects citizens from voting discrimination based on race or language minority status. This decision is part of a series of rulings by the conservative court that have impacted campaign finance laws, voting rights protections, and allowed partisan district drawing.Key Facts
- Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act bans voting practices that discriminate against racial or language minority groups.
- The Supreme Court’s 2026 ruling significantly reduced the power of section 2 to prevent voter discrimination.
- In 2010, the court’s Citizens United decision removed many limits on corporate spending in political campaigns.
- Citizens United equated corporate political spending with protected free speech under the First Amendment.
- The court wrongly assumed that independent political spending would not cause corruption and would remain transparent.
- In 2013, the court struck down sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act, removing required federal approval for state voting law changes.
- These decisions collectively have made it easier for money to influence politics and for states to implement voting laws that could disadvantage minority voters.
- Legal experts say the only way to improve democracy now is to vote and push for stronger democratic laws.
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