This week the U.S. Supreme Court handed down several decisions before winding up their business before they return in October. Following are some of the high-profile rulings:
The Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Nearly 50 years ago, Blacks in America had every reason to celebrate a pinnacle in the civil rights movement that would liberate an entire race.
This week, however, the high court majority (5-to-4 vote) struck down the very essence of that movement by deeming Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 “unconstitutional.”
Section 4 protects minorities in America from discriminatory practices, such as taking literacy tests and asking impractical questions at the voting polls.
Speaking for the majority, conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said “our country has changed” from when the law was originally enacted.
The Supreme Court has now left the decision up to a divided Congress to amend one of the most important laws in American history, which leaves many skeptics leery on whether or not a reasonable decision can be made in order to move the country forward.
Is affirmative action constitutional?
While a portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 rolls back to Congress, the issue of affirmative action will also linger in the trenches of a lower court.
By a 7-to-1 vote this week, the Supreme Court vacated and remanded Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a case involving race-based college admission and affirmative action policy, back to a lower court for reconsideration.
No resolution has been made to decide if race-based admission is constitutional. The Fisher v. UT case may not be resolved for months.
The high court ruled DOMA unconstitutional. It ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples, is unconstitutional in states where same-sex marriage is legal.
Proposition 8, or the California Marriage Protection Act, which prohibited same-sex marriages in California, was also ruled unconstittional.
The Supreme Court decision now paves the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California.
