Constitution Daily Blog
15th Amendment
Happy birthday, 15th and 16th Amendments
Today we celebrate a constitutional ratification twofer: the 15th Amendment (ratified February 3, 1870) and the 16th Amendment…
Happy Birthday, Civil Rights Act
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. The landmark law was a turning point in American history,…
Felons and the right to vote
On April 22, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe ordered the restoration of voting rights for more than 200,000 citizens with past…
The Slaughterhouse Cases: Interpreting the Reconstruction Amendments
A narrow reading of the 14th Amendment's Privilege or Immunities Clause altered the trajectory of constitutional law.
Who controls primary elections, and who gets to vote?
As the nation barrels toward Iowa and New Hampshire, let's take a brief look at the development of primary elections and access to…
A troubled semicentennial remembrance of the Voting Rights Act
In this commentary, Rick Valelly of Swarthmore College says the history of voting rights reminds us that democracy is a work in…
Voting rights law, then and now
In this commentary, Nathaniel Persily of Stanford Law School explains how the struggle over voting rights has changed since the…
Voting Rights Act gets partial win on eve of 50th anniversary
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that a Texas state voter ID law needs to be reconsidered as violating part of the…
Celebrating one of the Voting Rights Act’s many anniversaries
In this commentary, Brianne Gorod of the Constitutional Accountability Center argues that the Voting Rights Act's multiple…
Bruised and weary, the Voting Rights Act celebrates its 50th birthday
Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965, taking an enormous step toward…
