Patrick Leahy: “In contrast, Judge Pryor's statements about section 5 reflect a long-discredited view of the Voting Rights Act. Since…”

“In contrast, Judge Pryor's statements about section 5 reflect a long-discredited view of the Voting Rights Act. Since the enactment of the statute in 1965, every Supreme Court case to address the question has rejected the claim that section 5 is an ``affront'' to our system of federalism. Whether under Earl Warren, Warren Burger, or William Rehnquist, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that guaranteeing all citizens the right to cast an equal vote is essential to our democracy--no a ``burden'' that has ``outlived its usefulness.'' Indeed, Congressman Lewis sponsored a resolution, which is being considered on the floor of the House today, commemorating the passage of the Voting Rights Act 40 years ago this summer. The resolution recalls the struggle for the act's landmark protections--from the brutal suppression of marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, on ``Bloody Sunday'' in March 1965, to the passage of the bill by a bipartisan Congress months later--and reaffirms its importance. Forty years after President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, Congressman Lewis and I remain committed to this essential piece of legislation. Exhibit 1 Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, July 14, 2005. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.…”