Re: The Power of the SCOTUS IV: Gays, Guns, and Immigrants, OH MY!
What if Congress, in its wisdom, decided to apply the law to any state/county which had EVER allowed slavery? The 9 states singled out by the VRA only treated black people worse than any other state from the period from perhaps 1800-1960, which is only about 1/3 of the time that "modern" governments have existed in the new world. New York finally outlawed slavery in 1837, a whopping 28 years before the 13th amendment outlawed it everywhere, and only allowed blacks to vote starting in 1860. Yet, we're supposed to believe that a primary cause of the disadvantages that African Americans face (and they definitely still do) are the Jim Crow laws that existed for less than 100 years in 9 particular states?
I think that is entirely appropriate for a law that is purportedly intended to remedy a fixed problem (discrimination prior to 1965). If it doesn't have a time limit, that's essentially admitting that the law is a failure - that it will never solve the problem it was enacted to address.
What if Congress, in its wisdom, decided to apply the law to any state/county which had EVER allowed slavery? The 9 states singled out by the VRA only treated black people worse than any other state from the period from perhaps 1800-1960, which is only about 1/3 of the time that "modern" governments have existed in the new world. New York finally outlawed slavery in 1837, a whopping 28 years before the 13th amendment outlawed it everywhere, and only allowed blacks to vote starting in 1860. Yet, we're supposed to believe that a primary cause of the disadvantages that African Americans face (and they definitely still do) are the Jim Crow laws that existed for less than 100 years in 9 particular states?
