By Chris Hoenig
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, has found that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is unconstitutional.
The ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, voids the section that sets the jurisdictions that are subject to federal monitoring, “in light of current conditions.” It does not strike down Section 5 of the Act, which requires that certain states and counties get advanced approval to make changes to their election procedures, but says that the formula that determines those jurisdictions is based on outdated data and must be changed.
