With the help of right-wing prop shops, Shelby County, Alabama is suing to overturn the 2006 extension of the Voting Rights Act. The reason why they must lose:
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, for example, points to a recent case in Calera, Ala., a fast-growing city in Shelby County, south of Birmingham. The city eliminated its only black-majority city council district when it redrew the district lines in 2006. After the change, Calera’s only African-American councilman, Ernest Montgomery, lost his seat. But citing the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department under President George W. Bush voided the election and required Calera to redraw the boundaries, restoring the black-majority district. Montgomery was re-elected.
Remember, this is the state that recently passed an “ethics” law banning teachers from using payroll deduction for their union dues. We have a thousand ways to disenfranchise you and pretend it’s not racist. If the judge rules in favor of Shelby County, you’ll find out all about them — guaranteed.
