Format:
1 online resource (419 pages)
ISBN:
9780253007100
Content:
Passed in 1965 during the height of the Civil Rights movement, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) changed the face of the American electorate, dramatically increasing minority voting, especially in the South. While portions of the Act are permanent, certain provisions were set to expire in 2007. Reauthorization of these provisions passed by a wide margin in the House, and unanimously in the Senate, but the lopsided tally hid a deep and growing conflict. The Most Fundamental Right is an effort to understand the debate over the Act and its role in contemporary American democracy. Is the VRA the cornerstone of civil rights law that prevents unfair voting practices, or is it an anachronism that no longer serves American democracy? Divided into three sections, the book utilizes a point/counterpoint approach. Section 1 explains the legal and political context of the Act, providing important background for what follows; Section 2 pairs three debates concerning specific provisions or applications of the Act; while Section 3 offers commentaries on the previous chapters from attorneys with widely divergent viewpoints.
Content:
Cover -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- PART 1 THE POLITICAL AND LEGAL CONTEXT OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT -- 1 Meaningful Votes -- 2 The Constitutional Foundations of the "Preclearance" Process: How Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act Was Enforced, 1965-2005 -- 3 Influence District and the Courts: A Concept in Need of Clarity -- PART 2 THE DEBATE -- 4 The Bull Connor Is Dead Myth: Or Why We Need Strong, Effectively Enforced Voting Rights Laws -- 5 Bull Connor Is Long Dead: Let's Move On -- 6 The Voting Rights Act in South Dakota: One Litigator's Perspective on Reauthorization -- 7 Realistic Expectations: South Dakota's Experience with the Voting Rights Act -- 8 The Continuing Need for the Language-Assistance Provisions of the Voting Rights Act -- 9 Policy and Constitutional Objections to Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act -- PART 3 COMMENTARY -- 10 After NAMUDNO: The Shape of Future Litigation -- 11 Looking Backward to and Forward from the 2006 Voting Rights Act Reauthorization -- CONTRIBUTORS -- INDEX -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.
Note:
Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources
Additional Edition:
ISBN 9780253001924
Additional Edition:
Erscheint auch als Druck-Ausgabe ISBN 9780253001924
Language:
English
Bookmarklink
