Nov 11, 2024 Story by: Editor
The New York State Supreme Court in Orange County has invalidated a state law designed to prevent local officials from implementing policies that could restrict voting rights based on race.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, named after the late Congressman and civil rights advocate, was enacted by New York’s Legislature in 2022. The law aimed to reintroduce a form of “preclearance,” a safeguard from the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was removed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. This federal provision required states and counties with a history of Black voter suppression to receive approval from the U.S. Justice Department before making changes to voting rules. Similarly, New York’s state law required local governments or school districts with records of discrimination to obtain approval from state authorities before passing certain voting-related policies.
On Thursday, the court ruled that New York’s law conflicts with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents any state from depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Due to the supremacy of federal law over state law, the court decided to strike down the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act in its entirety.
“When New York enacted the strongest voting rights law in the country, we knew there would be challenges. I disagree with the court’s legal reasoning and expect this decision will be overturned on appeal,” stated state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, the chair of the state Senate Committee on Elections and author of the legislation. Source: Spectrum Local News
