The Supreme Court today announced that it would hear Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Mukasey. People For the American Way, on behalf of its members, is an intervenor defendant in the case. PFAW President Kathryn Kolbert issued the following statement:

“I’m extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court has decided not to affirm outright the lower court decision upholding the constitutionality of the pre-clearance provision of the Voting Rights Act. It’s another reminder of how far to the right the Court has moved that this decades old civil rights legislation is now in jeopardy despite having been found constitutional by the very same court in the past.

“The Voting Rights Act is a landmark in our nation’s struggle to move beyond the poisonous racism of our past, and it remains a necessary protection for vulnerable communities. Only two years ago, Congress overwhelmingly decided to extend this provision, finding that discrimination against minority voters persists in these jurisdictions. I am hopeful that the Court will maintain its role in defending the voting rights of all Americans by upholding the constitutionality of this provision.”

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