Voting Rights Act

First enacted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act prohibits voting discrimination for the reason of race or color. North Carolina lawmakers had interpreted this law to mean that they had to draw up voting districts in order to give African-American candidates a reasonable shot at winning elections, even in areas where they represented a minority of citizens. The Supreme Court ruled against this decision, in essence limiting the reach of the Voting Rights Act, in a 5-4 decision on March 9, 2009. They held that race need not be considered when deciding on voting districts if black voters do not make up a majority of the population in that area.Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court limits reach of Voting Rights Act (March 9, 2009)

On January 9, 2009, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to a provision of the voting rights act. According to the act's pre-clearance provision, any changes to voting policy or procedure must be approved by federal officials. The challenge was brought up by a utility board in Texas who could not legally move their elections from a garage to a local school without approval. The provision was originally made so that local governments could not impose regulations that may make it difficult for minorities to cast their votes. However, some argue that the pre-clearance provision is no longer necessary, as racial discrimination is largely a thing of the past, and the provision causes needless federal involvement and delays.CNN.com: High court to decide key voting rights challenge (January 9, 2009)