The Irony of Intent: Statutory Interpretation and the Constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

Louisiana Law Review Volume 76 | Number 1 The Voting Rights Act at 50: The Past, Present, and Future of the Right to Vote A Symposium of the Louisiana Law Review Fall 2015 The Irony of Intent: Statutory Interpretation and the Constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act Joshua S. Sellers Repository Citation Joshua S. Sellers, The Irony of Intent: Statutory Interpretation and the Constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 76 La. L. Rev. (2015) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol76/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact . 7KH,URQ\RI,QWHQW6WDWXWRU\,QWHUSUHWDWLRQDQGWKH &RQVWLWXWLRQDOLW\RI6HFWLRQRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FW Joshua S. Sellers  7$%/(2)&217(176  ,QWURGXFWLRQ , &RQWH[WXDOL]LQJWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWDQG&RQJUHVV¶V )RXUWHHQWK$PHQGPHQW(QIRUFHPHQW3RZHU  $ 7KH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWDQG9RWH'LOXWLRQ'RFWULQH  % 7KH%XUGHQRICity of Boerne ,, 'LVFULPLQDWRU\,QWHQWLQ6HFWLRQ&DVHV  $ (YLGHQFHDQG3HUPLVVLEOH(QIRUFHPHQW  % 0HDVXULQJ-XGLFLDO,GHRORJ\LQ6HFWLRQ&DVHV   *HQHUDO)LQGLQJV   )LQGLQJVE\6WDJH ,,, $VVHVVLQJWKH,PSOLFDWLRQVRIWKH,QWHQW5HTXLUHPHQW  &RQFOXVLRQ  $SSHQGL[&DVH/LVW ,1752'8&7,21 1HDUO\WZR \HDUV DJRLQ Shelby County v. HolderWKH 6XSUHPH &RXUW GHFODUHG6HFWLRQRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI ³95$´ XQFRQVWLWXWLRQDO UHQGHULQJ 6HFWLRQ  RI WKH VWDWXWH LPSRWHQW 6HFWLRQ  WKH VRFDOOHG    &RS\ULJKWE\-26+8$66(//(56   $VVRFLDWH 3URIHVVRU RI /DZ 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 2NODKRPD &ROOHJH RI /DZ 7KDQN \RX WR *X\8ULHO &KDUOHV %HUWUDOO 5RVV )UDQLWD 7ROVRQ $GDP &R[ *HUDOG 5RVHQEHUJ %HUQDUG +DUFRXUW 6KHURG 7KD[WRQ -XVWLQ :HLQVWHLQ7XOO -RVK%RZHUVDQGSDUWLFLSDQWVLQ:DVKLQJWRQDQG/HH8QLYHUVLW\6FKRRORI/DZ¶V V\PSRVLXPRQWKHWKDQQLYHUVDU\RIWKH&LYLO5LJKWV$FWRIDQGWKH9RWLQJ 5LJKWV$FWRIIRUYHU\KHOSIXOIHHGEDFN   6&W     9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI3XE/1R6WDW FRGLILHGDV DPHQGHGDV86&$††WR :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/     Shelby Cnty.6&WDW   86&$† :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/     LOUISIANA LAW REVIEW >9RO  ³SUHFOHDUDQFH´SURYLVLRQKDVSOD\HGDQH[WUDRUGLQDULO\LPSRUWDQWUROHLQ WKHKLVWRU\RIYRWLQJULJKWVHQIRUFHPHQWDQGPDQ\VFKRODUVGRXEWHGWKDW WKH&RXUWZRXOGJRVRIDUDVWRXQGHUPLQHLW7KRXJKWKHGHFLVLRQFRQWDLQV GHFODUDWLRQV RI MXGLFLDO PRGHVW\ LW LV GLIILFXOW QRW WR UHDG LW DV ³SRUWHQG>LQJ@DUHDOLJQPHQWLQYRWLQJULJKWVODZDQGSROLF\´7KHShelby CountyKROGLQJWKXVHOHYDWHVWKHTXHVWLRQRIZKHWKHU6HFWLRQWKH$FW¶V RWKHUIRXQGDWLRQDOSURYLVLRQFDQVXUYLYHDFRQVWLWXWLRQDOFKDOOHQJHWKDW PDQ\ H[SHUWV KDYH ORQJ DQWLFLSDWHG EXW ZKLFK QRZ VHHPV SDUWLFXODUO\ XUJHQW 7KH DQVZHU WR WKDW TXHVWLRQ WXUQV RQ WKH &RXUW¶V DVVHVVPHQW RI 6HFWLRQDVDFRQVWLWXWLRQDOO\SHUPLVVLEOHUHPHG\LQOLJKWRILWVLQFUHDVLQJO\ FRQVWULFWHGKROGLQJVRQFRQJUHVVLRQDOHQIRUFHPHQWSRZHU 7KLV$UWLFOHDUJXHVWKDW6HFWLRQLVDFRQVWLWXWLRQDOO\VRXQGH[HUFLVHRI &RQJUHVV¶V HQIRUFHPHQW SRZHU XQGHU WKH 5HFRQVWUXFWLRQ $PHQGPHQWV EHFDXVH HYHQ ZKHQ HYDOXDWHG XQGHU WKH &RXUW¶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d. † D    See, e.g. 5LFKDUG / +DVHQ Congressional Power to Renew the Preclearance Provisions of the Voting Rights Act After 7HQQHVVHH Y /DQH  2+,2 67 /-   ³>,@WLVQRWFOHDUWKDWWKH&RXUW ZRXOGKDYHWKH VWRPDFK WR RYHUWXUQ D UHQHZHG SUHFOHDUDQFH SURYLVLRQ 7KH HDUO\ YRWLQJ ULJKWV FDVHVDUHFRQVLGHUHGE\PDQ\WREHDKLJKZDWHUPDUNIRUWKH&RXUWLQIRVWHULQJ UDFLDOHTXDOLW\LQWKLVFRXQWU\´    *X\ 8ULHO&KDUOHV  /XLV )XHQWHV5RKZHU State’s Rights, Last Rites, and Voting Rights&211/5(9     See,e.g.+HDWKHU.*HUNHQUnderstanding the Right to an Undiluted Vote  +$59 / 5(9     ³7KH GLVWLQFWLRQ EHWZHHQ WKH FRQVWLWXWLRQDOFODLPZKLFKUHTXLUHVSURRIRILQWHQWDQGWKHVWDWXWRU\FODLPZKLFK GHPDQGVRQO\SURRIRIGLVFULPLQDWRU\UHVXOWVZLOOEHTXLWHLPSRUWDQWZKHQWKH FRQVWLWXWLRQDOLW\ RI †  LV FKDOOHQJHG XQGHU City of Boerne > 86   @´    See -DFN0%DONLQThe Reconstruction Power1<8/5(9 ±   SURYLGLQJEDFNJURXQGRQWKH5HFRQVWUXFWLRQ$PHQGPHQWV $ &KULVWRSKHU%U\DQWThe Pursuit of Perfection: Congressional Power to Enforce the Reconstruction Amendments+286/5(9±   VDPH    )RULQVWDQFHLQDPHQGLQJ6HFWLRQLQWKHDSSOLFDEOHVHQDWHUHSRUW H[SUHVVO\UHMHFWHGWKHUHTXLUHPHQWWKDWSODLQWLIIVSURYHLQWHQWLRQDOGLVFULPLQDWLRQ 6 5(3 12  DW ±   as reprinted in  86&&$1  ±   See infra3DUW,,   @  IRONY OF INTENT  1RQHWKHOHVVWKLVUHPHG\KDVQRWSUHYHQWHGLWVRSSRQHQWVIURPFDOOLQJIRU MXGLFLDOUHYLHZRQWKHJURXQGVWKDWLWLVXQFRQVWLWXWLRQDOO\EURDG %HKLQG WKHVH HIIRUWV OXUN GHFDGHVROG SROLWLFDOO\FKDUJHG DUJXPHQWV DERXWWKHOLPLWVRI (...truncated)