I hope that members on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress will come together and pass legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act to its full vitality.

It is fitting that this hearing is being held in a city that has been central to the struggle for achieving civil rights for all Americans.

I am not sure why it is the province of the Supreme Court to tell Congress how big a record to make before making legislative decisions.

Why do we not see lawsuits against local governments for the violation of civil rights under color of law?

I think the states have an absolute right to do that, not just for their own--for legislatures but for Congress, too.

One of the great unmet challenges is the current assault in legislatures and courts across the country on the right to vote.

The 2013 decision of the United States Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder is the single greatest setback to voting rights in the modern era.

I simply wanted to, first, thank the witnesses both from the first and second panels.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly disagree with the decision taken by the majority of the court.

But for other reasons--I mean, if people are still alive and they are able to vote they should be allowed to vote and should not be purged from the rolls.

I have always read the Shelby County decision as saying that Section 4 was unconstitutional.

It seems to me that if you had a modern test you could justify this even under Shelby County.