Brian Kemp just pulled off his hood
Governor Brian Kemp took a look back at the Jim Crow era and the days of old in Georgia, signing a voter suppression bill on Thursday in Georgia that gives the GOP power over all election boards in their state, takes away the use of drop boxes and makes giving voters in obscenely long poll lines food and water a crime. Cheating ugly with racial undertones is the way that the GOP can win, the only way.
According to Democratic state Senator Jen Jordan, “It’s like the Christmas tree of goodies for voter suppression.” Unsaid is that the law is also a return to a “White” Christmas.
Sadly and shamefully, the GOP has not found any reason to stop this. Rather, in 43 states, more than 250 bills have been introduced to reduce or block the voter from exercising the right to vote.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is unlikely to step in and put an end to this return to Jim Crow and the period before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law. With the VRA eviscerated and the Court not interested in voting equality generally, the nation will continue to see those who would lose power by the demographic shifts of the nation turn to every manner and effort to oppress and suppress the vote. We must band together and end this “hoods off” climate by passing HR1.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.