WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a ruling today, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a portion of the Voting Rights Act, which was put in place to stop racially discriminatory voting districts.
Following is reaction from Jed Ober, managing director of the NRDC Action Fund:
“Our democracy is not strengthened by rolling back core portions of the Voting Rights Act. And the Court is not helped by perceptions that its rulings have strong partisan leanings.
“Often communities that faced ongoing structural racism have also dealt with disproportionate environmental burdens that require real federal resources and policy resolve to address. Sure, they will still be able to vote for whomever they want after this ruling. But the likelihood that they can elect candidates that truly reflect and represent their communities—and are willing to fight their battles in Congress—have shrunk thanks to the Court.”
