It was quite a week for our nation and the Supreme Court.
Three pretty big decisions came down the pike, two concerning gay marriage and one dealing with voter rights. It has been interesting to not only see the decisions themselves, but also the reactions of people across the political spectrum.
Several questions come to mind. One day after the high court filleted the Voting Rights Act, they handed down significant losses to those fighting against gay marriage.
What do these two decisions mean about our country’s current views of justice? Has there been a major shift when it comes to thinking about social equity?
On the one hand, I’m not sure slicing and dicing the Voting Rights Act was the right thing to do. I understand the “publicly-given” answer by Chief Justice John Roberts.
In handing down the majority opinion, Roberts said, “Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”
Honestly, I kind of understand the thinking here, however everyone didn’t see it that way.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis was born to sharecroppers in Alabama in 1940 and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. To him, the high court’s decision — which he said “stuck a dagger into the heart of the Voting Rights Act” — is much more personal.
“These men never stood in unmovable lines,” said Lewis of the justices, referring to voter registration ques that never moved. “They were never denied the right to participate in the democratic process. They were never beaten, jailed, run off their farms or fired from their jobs. No one they knew died simply trying to register to vote. They are not the victims of gerrymandering or contemporary unjust schemes to maneuver them out of their constitutional rights.”
I understand this as well: have we really come that far as a country that we can sweep away the safeguards against racially-based voter fraud? I hope so, but I’m skeptical.
Voting districts, voter registration and some of the other related voting issues are currently on the shady side in this country. And when combined with being run with less oversight — or oversight at the local level — doesn’t help me feel confident.
I’m sorry but local governments throughout the South do not exactly have sterling records when it comes to fair play when it comes to elections. Our voting districts are a sham; apparently, gerrymandering is OK these days. And I am not saying one side or the other is at fault here — I’m saying both sides are at fault here.
There is a swell in certain regions of the country these days that state and local governments can more effectively run their respective areas than the federal government. While I am no fan of Big Brother, I am also a realist. No facet of American society has been more corrupt than local Southern governments throughout American history.
None.
Pick a social issue and most Southern local governments have been behind the curve throughout our history. Slavery? Pretty clear-cut case. Civil Rights? Women’s suffrage? It took federal intervention for us to allow equality on all of these issues.
If those issues are too old for you, then how about gay marriage, abortion or immigration? Where will the Southern states come out on these social issues when our children look back?
Have times truly changed? Are we to the point we can trust these organizations fully or is this swell of faith in state and local governments just sour grapes for not winning at the national level? I don’t know.
I know this much: I truly hope Justice Roberts’ words are true … I truly hope we have changed.
Richard Clark is the consolidated desk chief for Halifax ENC; his column appears in this space every Sunday. You can reach him at 910-219-8452 or at Richard.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kpaws22.