Anti-Black attitudes are increasing. Fifty-one percent of all
Americans, an increase of 3% over four years, now express such
attitudes, according to a recent Associated Press poll. So why
has the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to challenge the Voting Rights
Act of 1965? The case from Shelby County, Alabama questions
whether Congress exceeded its authority when it voted in 2006 to
renew Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Voting rights are not
guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution-that right is granted to
the states. However, the Shelby case does not contest the
constitutionality of the voting law itself, which makes it
illegal to enforce any voting procedure or election law that
discriminates against voters because of their race. Section 5
requires jurisdictions found to have prior voting right
violations to be pre-approved by the U.S. Attorney General or
the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC before making changes
in election laws or rules. The Shelby case, along with a case
challenging college affirmative ac