Supreme Court strikes down the VRA preclearance formula in Shelby County v. Holder

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Shelby County v. Holder that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional, invalidating the coverage formula that required nine states and dozens of jurisdictions to seek federal preclearance before changing election laws. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the formula relied on 40-year-old data that no longer reflected current conditions. Without a valid coverage formula, Section 5 preclearance became unenforceable, leaving Section 2 litigation as the primary remaining tool for challenging discriminatory voting changes.