Chuck Schumer: “earlier this morning, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court took another step toward resurrecting the Jim Crow…”

“earlier this morning, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court took another step toward resurrecting the Jim Crow South. In a decision that for all practical purposes upends half a century of precedent, defies the spirit of the American Civil Rights Movement, and reverses generations of progress toward racial justice, the rightwing Court today essentially declared it valid and appropriate for States to discriminate against racial minorities in drawing districts. The Voting Rights Act--a law written in the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice of Americans who marched, who fought, and died for the right to vote and to prevent racial discrimination--has been diminished once again. The consequence of this decision is as clear as it is dangerous: fewer protections for voters, more power for politicians to draw maps that silence them--particularly historically disenfranchised voters. The conservative Court has tried to make it seem like its decision today was narrow and tailored. But let's be very clear. In the words of Justice Kagan, this decision is a ``demolition''--a ``demolition''--of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It opens the floodgates for States across the South to redraw their congressional districts and make voters of color essentially invisible in our democracy. By some estimates, this decision could lead conservative State legislatures to draw as many as 19 additional seats that favor Republicans in the House.”