AG Brown condemns SCOTUS attack on historic voting rights law

Attorney General Nick Brown released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act in today’s Louisiana v. Callais decision.

“Passed after generations of delay, denial, and indignity, the 1965 Voting Rights Act was justice for oppressed and brutalized Americans who kept faith in their country’s promise.

Today, the Supreme Court has disregarded that sacrifice, dismissed the truth, and revoked the law’s promise to future generations.

“Just last month, I stood at the site of Bloody Sunday in Selma, where, as the nation watched in horror 61 years ago, hundreds of peaceful voting rights advocates suffered the full effect of rights denied. Just five months later, Congress passed this miracle legislation into law. 

“We must work as the tragic implications of the Callais decision loom for so many. It will take the same fearless, focused, and righteous spirit of prior generations to halt this backward spiral. My office will continue to do everything we can to protect Washingtonians’ civil and constitutional rights. 

“The message 60 years ago is the same now: We shall overcome.”