the scales of justice did not weigh more toward equality this past week

[cali]

1. since 2006 Justice has blocked 31 attempted changes to voting laws

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How important is this decision? Well, since 2006 the U.S. Justice Department has blocked 31 attempts to change voting laws, most of them in the nine, mostly Southern states fully covered by the relevant section of the law. (They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.) Most, if not all, of those proposed changes would have aided Republican electoral fortunes by making it harder for minorities to vote (because most vote Democratic). But the Justice Department stepped in.

Now that can no longer happen. These nine states, along with those partially covered by the law, will be able to pursue whatever changes they like, free of federal oversight. And they’re all but certain to make changes that favor GOP candidates. As Reid Wilson of the Hotline points out, all nine states have Republican-controlled legislatures.

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http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-25/the-supreme-courts-voting-rights-decision-is-a-poison-chalice-for-the-gop