Sunday, February 24, 2013

Do You Remember When the Voting Rights Act Passed? Tell Us Your Story | PBS NewsHour

Do You Remember When the Voting Rights Act Passed? Tell Us Your Story | PBS NewsHour: For 48 years, the Voting Rights Act has been one of the most prominent pieces of Civil Rights legislation. Its aim: to ensure that people in areas with a history of racial discrimination receive fair treatment when they vote.

The Supreme Court will examine a constitutional challenge to the act in one of the most-watched cases this year. The case asks whether the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is still necessary and whether voters still risk disenfranchisement in certain parts of the country. The Court will hear arguments from Shelby County, Ala., which challenges the law, and from U.S. government attorneys and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, on Feb. 27.

Our coverage this month will examine the questions this case raises.