Today, Justice Kennedy asked the Solicitor General how many people in the DOJ Voting Section work on Section 5 reviews.  The Solicitor General would not answer with precision, but rather said “a substantial amount.”

After the troops of Voting Section staff returned to their offices after attending the Shelby arguments today, ELC learns that a “substantial amount” of doors inside the Voting Section are now closed.  We also hear that there is a substantial amount of despair and pessimism about the prospects of Section 5.  It looks like a substantial amount of idle time may characterize Summer 2013 at the Voting Section.