On January 9, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear NAMUDNO v Mukasey, the case from Texas that challenges section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 is the part of the federal act that requires certain states to get permission from the U.S. Department of Justice before altering any election law. The lower court had upheld the law, in a decision last year.
Prez Grant barely got elected in 1868 in marginal northern States.
The Elephants panicked — Jan-Feb 1869 lame duck session to propose the 15th Amdt — to get more black votes in the NORTH from black ex-Union soldiers / sailors in the horrific Civil War.
For blacks — 1860 to 1870
End of slavery 13th Amdt
Civil Rights 14th Amdt
Voting Rights 15th Amdt
Compare 14th Amdt, Sec. 2 and the 15th Amdt. Sec. 1.
Mostly the same folks wrote both.
Remember the about 620,000 dead on both sides in the horrific 1861-1865 Civil War and the multi-thousands with no eyes, hands, arms, feet and legs for another 70 plus years after the war ended.
OpEd in the NY Times about this today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/opinion/09greenhouse.html
VRA treats most of the former CSA as an occupied nation, it also applies to Hawai’i and one or two counties in Michigan and New York.
The Congress can be very drastic if the various Amdts — 13, 14, 15, etc. — are violated —
The DEATH penalty (or perhaps just 100 years in jail) for any MORON State officials involved and/or GIANT criminal fines to bankrupt the States / officials involved, GIANT punitive damages for victim folks, etc.
The VRA pre-clearance stuff is all blatantly unconstitutional — regardless of JUNK opinions in the 1960s — which perhaps will be over-ruled — IF the lawyers and amicus folks filing briefs have ANY brain cells.