March 6, 2025 Story by: Editor
Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Known as H.R. 14, the bill aims to restore and strengthen legal protections against racial discrimination in voting and representation—safeguards that have been significantly weakened by Supreme Court rulings.
The reintroduction of the bill comes just two days before the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. On that day, law enforcement officers violently attacked the late Representative John Lewis and hundreds of peaceful demonstrators as they marched for equal voting rights.
Eliza Sweren-Becker, senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s voting rights program, responded to the bill’s reintroduction, stating:
“By enacting the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Congress can bring back the protections against racial discrimination that the Roberts Court has destroyed. The House should pass it.
“Sixty years since John Lewis suffered through Bloody Sunday, voters of color in America still face discrimination. Congress should be protecting the freedom to vote, not advancing another sweeping, restrictive voting bill that would disproportionately burden Americans of color.
“Congress came incredibly close to passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in 2022. It must act now to fulfill Congressman Lewis’s vision of a democracy that is open to all.”
Background
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has long been considered one of the most effective measures for preventing racial discrimination in voting. However, the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder removed a key provision of the law, leading to a decade of racially biased voting restrictions and gerrymandering.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law has analyzed the impact of this ruling, finding an increasing gap in voter turnout rates between white voters and voters of color. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act seeks to reinstate the Voting Rights Act’s protections against racial discrimination and enhance voter safeguards to ensure equal access to the ballot box.
Source: Brennan Center
