Shelby County v. Holder Strikes Down VRA Section 5 Coverage Formula

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act — the formula determining which states required federal preclearance for voting changes — was unconstitutional because it relied on 40-year-old data. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority; Justice Ginsburg dissented sharply. The ruling left Section 5 technically intact but inoperable, since no valid coverage formula remained. Within 24 hours, Texas announced implementation of its blocked voter ID law, North Carolina enacted sweeping voting restrictions, and Alabama announced its photo ID requirement.