March 9 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court limited the Voting Rights Act, ruling that provisions aimed at maintaining black and Hispanic influence at the polling place don’t apply in districts that are less than half minority.
The justices, voting 5-4, struck down a North Carolina redistricting plan that sought to preserve minority voting power in a state legislative district that is 39 percent black. The high court said that district wasn’t covered by the “vote dilution†protections in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because minority voters could elect their preferred candidate only with the help of whites.
“Nothing in Section 2 grants special protection to a minority group’s right to form political coalitions,†Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for three justices in the court’s controlling opinion.
The ruling may make it harder for minority candidates to win election in some voting districts. The court under Chief Justice John Roberts has repeatedly shown skepticism about governmental considerations of race in voting and other contexts.
The court in April is scheduled to hear arguments in a potentially more far-reaching Voting Rights Act case, one challenging the requirement that the Justice Department give advance approval before district lines or other voting rules can be changed in many parts of the country.
More at Link
