GOV 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Fifteenth Amendment To The United States Constitution
Document Summary
Arguably not a huge barrier - most changes approved. Allowed time for interested parties (those facing discrimination) to object. Put fed government into the process from the start. Vra (& section v) reauthorized most recently in 2006. Extensive hearings in the house and senate in anticipation of a judicial challenge. Signed into law by president bush . Alabama jurisdiction challenged the constitutionality of section v. Argued that they should not be held to a higher standard than other jurisdictions. In defense of section v: language of 15th amendment, extensive congressional hearings. Continued evidence of racially motivated restrictions on voting in shelby. Section ivb based on 40 year-old facts [has] no logical relationship to the present day was held unconstitutional instead of section v. Justice thomas would have held section v to be unconstitutional. Public disagreed with the court ruling, thought the court went too far. Supreme court presents this as an issue for congress.