The modern day voting rights movement was born out of the precipitous clash of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the American legal system. Through marches and sit-ins, activists pushed America to live up to the values expressed in her Declaration, ultimately leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
For almost 20 years, these provisions were used to expand voting rights for black Americans in various states. Yet, their very expansiveness raised serious constitutional questions over states’ rights and the equality of states.
Debo Adegbile is Partner and Co-Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Practice at WilmerHale. He currently serves as a commissioner on the US Commission on Civil Rights, appointed by President Obama in 2016 Debo argued Shelby County v. Holder and Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One (NAMUDNO) v. Holder before the Supreme Court.
Will Consovoy is Parter at Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC law firm. He represented Shelby County, AL in the Shelby County case. He also filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Project of Fair Representation in Veasey v. Abbott, in support of defendants.
Jeffrey Rosen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center, the only institution in America chartered by Congress “to disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” He is also a professor at The George Washington University Law School, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic.
Related Cases
- Thornburg v. Gingles (1986)
- Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008)
- Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
Additional Resources
Our Interactive Constitution is the leading digital resource about the debates and text behind the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. Here, scholars from across the legal and philosophical spectrum interact with each other to explore the meaning of each provision of our founding document.
Common Interpretation
The Fifteenth Amendment By Richard H. Pildes and Bradley A. Smith
Matters of Debate
The Fifteenth Amendment: The Right to Vote Today by Richard H. Pildes
The Future of Voting Rights: Finding the Right Balance by Bradley A. Smith
Stay Connected and Learn More
Continue today’s conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.
Please subscribe to We the People and our companion podcast, Live at America’s Town Hall, on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
We the People is a member of Slate’s Panoply network. Check out the full roster of podcasts at Panoply.fm.
The Constitution Center is offering CLE credits for select America’s Town Hall programs! In-person credit is now available in Pennsylvania, with more states to come soon.
And finally, despite our congressional charter, the National Constitution Center is a private nonprofit; we receive little government support, and we rely on the generosity of people around the country who are inspired by our nonpartisan mission of constitutional debate and education. Please consider becoming a member to support our work, including this podcast.
