Thread by @AriBerman

SCOTUS conservative majority is quite literally making it easier to buy an election and harder to vote in one

In 2013 SCOTUS gutted Voting Rights Act. Since then 26 states have enacted new voter suppression laws

Now conservative majority shredding what remains of VRA, giving green-light to greatest rollback of voting rights since end of Reconstruction motherjones.com/politics/2021/…

Key line from Kagan dissent: "Weaken the Voting Rights Act, and predictable consequences follow: yet a further generation of voter suppression laws"

That's exactly what Court has done by gutting VRA in 2013 & eviscerating what's left of law today

SCOTUS decision gutting what’s left of VRA shows how desperately For the People Act & John Lewis Voting Rights Act needed. Just like with VRA in 1965, only Congressional action can stop onslaught of voter suppression. And expand the court so it doesn't strike down new laws

If John Roberts had not gutted Voting Rights Act in 2013 voting restrictions in AZ upheld by SCOTUS today would’ve been blocked in the first place

26 states have enacted new voter suppression laws since Shelby County decision bit.ly/3w1ONCg

In 2013 when he gutted Section 5 of Voting Rights Act John Roberts wrote “our decision in no way affects the permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting found in Section 2”

Now SCOTUS conservatives gutting Section 2. Their goal all along was to kill entire VRA

John Roberts has been trying to eviscerate Voting Rights Act for 40 years

As young lawyer in Reagan DOJ he led fight to gut Section 2 of law

In 2013 he wrote opinion gutting Section 5 of VRA

Every story today needs to highlight this politico.com/magazine/story…

Supreme Court enshrined Jim Crow by upholding poll taxes & literacy tests at end of Reconstruction

History repeating today

Roberts court has "completely turned its back on efforts to protect voting rights for communities of color"

motherjones.com/politics/2021/…

Alito goes full Big Lie: "The strength of state interests—such as the strong and entirely legitimate state interest in preventing election fraud—served by a challenged voting rule is an important factor"

This language will be used to uphold all manner of voter suppression laws

Kagan's dissent begins with incredibly powerful opening: "If a single statute represents the best of America, it is the Voting Rights Act. It marries two great ideals: democracy and racial equality. And it dedicates our country to carrying them out."

In 1980 Supreme Court severely weakened Voting Rights Act. Congress overruled them (over objections of John Roberts), strengthen law & renewed it for 25 years

Congressional Dems need to do same thing to protect voting rights today motherjones.com/politics/2021/…

At end of dissent Kagan throws serious shade at John Roberts for writing "things have changed dramatically" when he gutted VRA in 2013

"Maybe some think that vote suppression is a relic of history—and so the need for a potent Section 2 has come and gone"

If you want to learn more about how Voting Rights Act transformed American democracy & why conservatives have been trying to gut it for 50 years, today is a great day to start reading Give Us the Ballot indiebound.org/book/978125009…