Author Archives: J Christian Adams

Shelby Didn’t Gut the Voting Rights Act (VRA); it took DOJ federal bureaucracy out of the preemption business and kept determinations in the Courts

An additional note from the article written by Roger Clegg.  He reminds his readers of what exactly the Supreme Court does and what the left wing advocacy groups are trying to “fix” 


There are other big problems with the bill: It exceeds Congress’s constitutional authority; features for the first time racial classifications that offer protections for “minority voters” that it withholds from “nonminority” voters; contains provisions that have nothing to do with Section 5 (including scary new litigation authority given to Attorney General Eric Holder and his civil-rights-group cronies); encourages racial gerrymandering, segregation, and racial identity politics, with an eye to partisan advantage; has all kinds of pernicious side effects as a result of the “disparate impact” approach that it enshrines; encourages spurious litigation; and burdens localities with bean-counting requirements, to name a few. But it fails to clear even the basic initial hurdle: We just don’t need Section 5 anymore.

…Indeed, these other provisions are now being used, aggressively, by the Obama administration and liberal civil-rights groups, and there is no evidence that they need more weapons in their arsenals. If they can prove their cases in court, they will win — the way it works with every other civil-rights law — but with Section 5 they have gotten used to winning without having to prove anything, and that’s the only reason for the efforts to bring back Section 5.


“We Just Don’t Need Section 5 Anymore”

Roger Clegg @ National Review: The Voting Rights Act has plenty of other sections that we can use against discrimination.


Section 5 was an extraordinary provision. It said that nine entire states and parts of seven others could not make any change — no matter how small — in any voting practice or procedure without getting advance permission from the federal government. The federal government had to be convinced ahead of time that the change had no discriminatory “purpose” or “effect.” It basically put the burden of proof on a state or local government to establish its innocence — not only of disparate treatment, but also of anything with a disproportionate racial impact.

“FEC struggles to appoint top lawyer”

Campaign law enforcer goes without general counsel for nearly a year — and counting.  Link.


“Generally speaking, commissioners on both sides have at times viewed the Office of General Counsel with suspicion and regarded it as either supporting the other side on certain issues or taking OGC’s own position,” said Eric Wang, special counsel at law firm Wiley Rein LLP and former staff attorney for FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter, a Republican. “The position requires someone who not only knows the law well and is a good attorney, but also is a good mediator and not merely an advocate for his or her own views, or the views of certain commissioners.”

Voter Fraud Changes Outcome in Alabama: Dozens of Indictments

Dothan AL.  “Dothan commissioner’s girlfriend indicted on voter fraud charges.”  This is an election where voter fraud made a difference.  The outcome was determined by fraudulently casted votes.   The charges say that the defendants altered absentee ballots to help a Democrat city commissioner who happened to be the boyfriend of one of those charged.

Naturally the voter fraud deniers will say 1) it’s rare and 2) voter ID wouldn’t have changed it.  Wouldn’t it be nice for them to once be outraged instead of sticking to the denier narrative?


“Scott Walker Tweets Response to Partisan Witchhunt”

Brietbart reports on Governor Walker turning to social media to rebut discredited allegations:

While newly unsealed court documents reveal Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker “had been accused by prosecutors of allegedly being part of a “scheme” to illegally coordinate the activities of multiple campaign organizations,” Walker himself was quick to take to Twitter to point out the partisan nature of the accusations and that two judges have already called for an end to the investigation.

The accusation of any wrongdoing written in the complaint by the office of a partisan Dem DA by me or by my campaign is categorically false.  In fact two judges, in both state and federal courts, have ruled that no laws were broken.  This is nothing more than a partisan investigation with no basis in state law.

It’s time for the prosecutors to acknowledge both judge’s orders to end this investigation. 
 
Now my Democratic opponents will use these false accusations to distract from the issues important to the voters of Wisconsin.

“Scott Walker Slams ‘Partisan DA’ Over Fundraising Probe”

Newsmax reports: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Thursday lashed out at prosecutors’ accusations he illegally coordinated fundraising with conservative groups in an allegedly criminal scheme to violate election laws — calling the complaint “nothing more than a partisan investigation.”


“The accusation of any wrongdoing written in the complaint by the office of a partisan Democrat district attorney by me or by my campaign is categorically false,” Walker said in a statement, referring to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

“In fact two judges, in both state and federal courts, have ruled that no laws were broken.”