The People, as defined within our System don't want voting rights. (or abortion, food stamps, etc.)

[cthulu2016]

The Supreme Court made a minor change to the Voting Rights Act today that is actually a MAJOR change due only to political reality.

In a legit nation, SCOTUS suggested that a current standard is flawed and that Congress perhaps even expand federal scrutiny of changes in state voting laws. In any event, that Congress needs to change current law somewhat in meeting Congresses interest in protecting voting rights.

Not really a big deal except for the fact that Congress has no interest whatsoever in protecting voting rights.

That's the practical hang-up. And frankly, that's not SCOTUS's look-out. IF congress wants to protect voting rights THEN here is how congress should do that.

Our decision in no way affects the permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting found in §2. We issue no holding on §5 itself, only on the coverage formula. Congress may draft another formula based on current conditions. Such a formula is an initial prerequisite to a determination that exceptional conditions still exist justifying such an “extraordinary departure from the traditional course of relations between the States and the Federal Government.” … Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.

See? No problem. Congress remains free to modify the voting rights act to acheive the goal of no racial discrimination.

But Congress, as constituted today, does not want, for instance, black people to vote. And the conservatives on the court know that.

The American People do want black people to vote. In fact lot of the actual people are, in fact, black people (!) Hell... the American people keep electing a black president, in defiance of THE PEOPLE as embodied by congress, who want to impeach the president the actual people keep voting for..

But Congress does not.

The House of Representatives is supposed to be the truest representation of THE PEOPLE. It is the most "popular" part of the Federal system.

Yet it is the LEAST representative part of the federal system.

So we get questions like this... is SCOTUS obliged to take voting rights away from Congress, even though Congress has passed and re-passed the Voting Rights Act by huge margins?

When is Congress not Congress?

Our current Congress, representing the will of THE PEOPLE disagrees with the actual people on almost everything. THE PEOPLE don't want abortion rights, voting rights, privacy, food stamps, safety regulations, fair taxation... THE PEOPLE as THE PEOPLE exist in our system don't want any of that stuff even though the (actual) people DO want that stuff.



The only American political problem of note is how American congressional districts misrepresent the American people.


All the problems flow from that one thing. All of them.

All of them.

[Faux pas]

1. Well said!