Sen. Kamala Harris questions Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on voter suppression

Senator Kamala Harris, D-Calif., questioned Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Oct. 14, the third day of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Harris referenced the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its role in fighting voter suppression. But she pointed to the ramifications of later rulings like the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which essentially eliminated a requirement that forced jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to seek federal approval for changes in voting laws. Harris pointed to 23 states that have passed laws that restricted voting in the wake of that decision, adding that those states have also attempted to limit early voting and close polling locations, which disproportionately affects communities of color.
“Any nominee to the Supreme Court must understand the effect of ongoing efforts to discriminate against Black Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, students and other communities of color,” Harris said. She asked if Barrett agreed with Chief Justice John Roberts’ comment on the Shelby County decision that “voting discrimination still exists, no one doubts that.”
After commenting on some of the details of that decision, Barrett s declined to comment "on what any Justice said, an opinion - whether an opinion is right or wrong - or endorse that proposition.” When pressed, Barrett added: “I'm not going to say that I endorse either the majority or the dissent in the case of Shelby County."
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