Professor Chin Comments on Supreme Court Voting Rights Act Case for Arizona Public Radio
Professor Gabriel "Jack" Chin commented for Arizona public radio station KJZZ on Shelby County v. Holder, an Alabama county's Supreme Court challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires state and local governments in regions that have a history of discrimination against minority voters to obtain preclearance from the federal government before making changes to voting laws.
Professor Chin said that the most recent election, in which Section 5 was invoked to prevent the implementation of laws requiring photo identification, proof of citizenship, and other changes to voter registration requirements that critics claimed would have made it more difficult for poor and minority voters to participate, might influence the Justices.
"The last election cycle may have some impact on how this comes out," said Chin. "I think the Supreme Court, having seen all of the problems, and all the curve balls and obstacles that were put in the way of people trying to vote, having seen that and having seen the outcome, they may be a little more hesitant to say that Section 5's day has ended."
Gabriel "Jack" Chin, who joined the King Hall faculty in 2011, is a prolific and much-cited criminal and immigration law scholar whose work has addressed many of the most pressing social issues of our time.