Reflections on Justice Thurgood Marshall and Shelby County v. Holder

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 Reflections on Justice Thurgood Marshall and Shelby County v. Holder Wendy B. Scott Repository Citation Wendy B. Scott, Reflections on Justice Thurgood Marshall and Shelby County v. Holder, 76 La. L. Rev. (2015) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol76/iss1/10 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 . 5HIOHFWLRQVRQ-XVWLFH7KXUJRRG0DUVKDOODQGShelby County v. Holder Wendy B. Scott  , ,QWURGXFWLRQ &RQVWLWXWLRQDOLW\DQG5HDXWKRUL]DWLRQ3ULRUWRShelby County  $ 7KH)HGHUDOLVP%DODQFH  % :KR'HFLGHV&RQJUHVVLRQDORU-XGLFLDO$XWKRULW\" ,, 6RXWKHUQ6WUDWHJLHVWR&LUFXPYHQWWKH$SSOLFDWLRQ RIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FW  $ 'HILDQFHDVD6WUDWHJ\WR5HVLVWWKH$FW  % 5HDSSRUWLRQPHQWDVD6WUDWHJ\WR'LOXWH0LQRULW\ 9RWLQJ3RZHU  & $QQH[DWLRQDVD6WUDWHJ\WR'LOXWH0LQRULW\9RWLQJ3RZHU  ' $W/DUJH9RWLQJ6FKHPHVDVD'LOXWLRQ7HFKQLTXH  ( -XGLFLDO%DUULHUVWR/LWLJDWLRQXQGHU6HFWLRQ   +LJK6WDQGDUGVRI3URRI   1RQ5HYLHZDELOLW\RI$WWRUQH\*HQHUDO¶V 3UHFOHDUDQFH'HFLVLRQV ,,, &RPSDULQJ&RXUWV  &RQFOXVLRQ%DWWOLQJWKH+\GUD ,1752'8&7,21 ,QFORVHWR\HDUVDIWHUXSKROGLQJWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWRI  ³$FW´ DJDLQVWLWVILUVWFRQVWLWXWLRQDOFKDOOHQJHWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV 6XSUHPH&RXUWGHFODUHGDFHQWUDOSURYLVLRQRIWKH$FWXQFRQVWLWXWLRQDO,Q    &RS\ULJKWE\:(1'<%6&277   'HDQ 0LVVLVVLSSL &ROOHJH 6FKRRO RI /DZ , RZH WKDQNV WR P\ IRUPHU 1RUWK &DUROLQD &HQWUDO 8QLYHUVLW\ ³1&&8´  /DZ 6FKRRO FROOHDJXHV ZKR SURYLGHGLQYDOXDEOHIHHGEDFNGXULQJDSUHVHQWDWLRQRIDQHDUOLHUGUDIWP\VWXGHQW 5HVHDUFK $VVLVWDQWV -DGD $NHUV $P\ :KLWH 1&&8  DQG .LPD\D %RRWK 0LVVLVVLSSL &ROOHJH 6FKRRO RI /DZ  5HVHDUFK ,QVWUXFWLRQDO 6HUYLFHV DQG &LUFXODWLRQ/LEUDULDQDW0LVVLVVLSSL&ROOHJH6FKRRORI/DZ6WHSKHQ3DUNVDQG WKHVWXGHQWHGLWRUVRIWKLVMRXUQDOIRUWKHLUH[FHOOHQWZRUN   See 6RXWK &DUROLQD Y .DW]HQEDFK  86    7KH &RXUW XSKHOG WKH $FW DV DPHQGHG DJDLQVW FRQVWLWXWLRQDO FKDOOHQJH VHYHUDO WLPHV See *HRUJLDY8QLWHG6WDWHV86  &LW\RI5RPHY8QLWHG6WDWHV 86  /RSH]Y0RQWHUH\&QW\86      LOUISIANA LAW REVIEW >9RO  Shelby County v. HolderWKH&RXUWVWUXFNGRZQ6HFWLRQRIWKH$FWWKDW SUHVFULEHGWKH³IRUPXOD´IRUGHWHUPLQLQJZKLFKVWDWHVZRXOGEHVXEMHFWWR RU³FRYHUHG´E\WKHSUHFOHDUDQFHUHTXLUHPHQWRI6HFWLRQ)LYH-XVWLFHV DJUHHG WKDW GHVSLWH QXPHURXV FRQJUHVVLRQDO ILQGLQJV RI SHUVLVWHQW GLVFULPLQDWLRQ ³FXUUHQW FRQGLWLRQV´ LQ $PHULFDQ VRFLHW\ QR ORQJHU ZDUUDQWHGWKHDSSOLFDWLRQRIWKHFXUUHQWFRYHUDJHIRUPXOD$OWKRXJKWKH PDMRULW\UHFRJQL]HGWKDW³YRWLQJGLVFULPLQDWLRQVWLOOH[LVWV´WKH&RXUWKHOG WKDWLQOLJKWRIFXUUHQWVRFLDODQGSROLWLFDOFRQGLWLRQVVXUURXQGLQJWKHULJKW WR YRWH WKH VFRSH DQG UHDFK RI WKH UHPHGLDO PHDVXUHV LPSRVHG XQMXVWLILHG EXUGHQVRQVWDWHJRYHUQPHQWVDQGSROLWLFDOVXEGLYLVLRQVFRYHUHGXQGHU6HFWLRQ 7KHUHIRUH6HFWLRQQRORQJHUVDWLVILHG³FRQVWLWXWLRQDOUHTXLUHPHQWV´IRU WKHXVHRIVXFK³H[WUDRUGLQDU\PHDVXUHV´DVWKHFRYHUDJHIRUPXODLQLVVXH    6&W     See  86& † E E    FXUUHQWO\ FRGLILHG DV  86&$ †  :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/ 7KHFRYHUDJHIRUPXODFDOFXODWHG FRYHUDJHE\ORRNLQJDWZKHWKHURQ1RYHPEHU DQGODWHU WKHVWDWH RU SROLWLFDO VXEGLYLVLRQ PDLQWDLQHG D ³WHVW RU GHYLFH´ WKDW UHVWULFWHG WKH RSSRUWXQLW\RIDFLWL]HQWRUHJLVWHUDVHYLGHQFHGE\FHQVXVGDWDSection 4 of the Voting Rights Act 86 '(3¶7 -867,&( KWWSZZZMXVWLFHJRYFUWDERXWYRW PLVFVHFBSKSIRUPXOD >KWWSSHUPDFF6--:35@ ODVW XSGDWHG $XJ    6HFWLRQ  SURYLGHV WKDW QR FKDQJH LQ YRWLQJ SURFHGXUHV FDQ WDNH HIIHFW ZLWKRXWDSSURYDOE\VSHFLILHGIHGHUDODXWKRULWLHVRUWKHFRXUWSee 86&$†  :HVW:HVWODZWKURXJK3/    6HFWLRQHPSRZHUVWKHIHGHUDOJRYHUQPHQWWRVHQGIHGHUDORIILFLDOVLQWR FRYHUHGMXULVGLFWLRQVSULPDULO\LQWKH6RXWKWRWDNHRYHUYRWHUUHJLVWUDWLRQSee 86&$†,WDOVRVXVSHQGVWKHXVHRIGLVFULPLQDWRU\YRWLQJSUDFWLFHV DQGUHTXLUHVFRYHUHGMXULVGLFWLRQVWRVHHNSHUPLVVLRQIURPWKH-XVWLFH'HSDUWPHQW RUWKH IHGHUDOFRXUWEHIRUHLPSOHPHQWLQJDQ\FKDQJH WKDWDIIHFWV YRWLQJId. see also'DYLG3LOGHV Introduction WR 7+()8785(2)7+(927,1*5,*+76$&7DW[L [LL 'DYLG/(SVWHLQHWDOHGV  GLVFXVVLQJRIWKHKLVWRULFDOFRQWH[WDQGWKH UHOHYDQWSURYLVLRQVRIWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FW About Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act 86 '(3¶7 -867,&( KWWSZZZMXVWLFHJRYFUWDERXWYRWVHFB DERXWSKS >KWWSSHUPDFF'.:'&=9@ ODVW YLVLWHG $XJXVW    Areas Covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act : $6+   3 267 -XQH    KWWS ZZZZDVKLQJWRQSRVWFRPZSVUYVSHFLDOSROLWLFVVHFWLRQILYHYRWLQJULJKWVDFW PDS>KWWSSHUPDFF:0<%/&@cf. -DOLOD-HIIHUVRQ%XOORFNThe Flexibility of Section 5 and the Politics of Disaster in Post-Katrina New Orleans-*(1'(5 5$&( -867   DVVHUWLQJWKDW6HFWLRQVKRXOGEHVWUHQJWKHQHGWRDGGUHVV WKH QHHGV RI PLQRULW\ YRWHUV GXULQJ ODUJHVFDOH GLVDVWHU RU GLVSODFHPHQW    &RQJUHVVDPHQGHGDQGUHDXWKRUL]HGWKH9RWLQJ5LJKWV$FWLQ  DQG  History of Federal Voting Rights Law 86 '(3¶7 -867,&( KWWSZZZMXVWLFHJRYFUWDERXWYRWLQWURLQWURBESKS >KWWSSHUPDFF;6%+ /-@ ODVWYLVLWHG$XJXVW &RQJUHVVQDPHGWKHUHDXWKRUL]DWLRQThe Fannie Lou Hammer, Rosa (...truncated)