Dead Letter Law
Racism is dead amirite?
📡 On my Radar
A group of state senators painstakingly redraws the electoral district map in your state.
Once they’re done, they look down at the new map, satisfied with what they’ve achieved. And then one of them announces:
“Fantastic, no Black districts. Boy we’re racist!”
According to the Supreme Court’s most recent ruling, you need this level of outright racism to violate the Voting Rights Act.
But this isn’t the way bigotry works.
After the civil rights movement, a new form of indirect discrimination became more common: poll taxes became voter ID laws. Literacy tests became surgical redistricting. “Colored-only” water fountains became school district boundaries.
Congress understood these were just tactics to get around civil rights laws.
The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to fight overt suppression. Then in 1982, Congress amended Section 2 to focus on effects, not just intent. You didn’t need a smoking gun confession. You just needed to show the outcome was discriminatory.
This standard has protected voters for 40 years. Until last week.
The federal tool just broke. So we need to build state-based ones. Eight states have already passed their own Voting Rights Acts. Your state can be next.
📈 By the Numbers
👊🏽 Make a Difference
6 jobs | 1 opportunity
JOB | Lorena Perez McGill is hiring an immigration attorney in Texas.
JOB | Former student Elisa Thomas reshares a UX Designer position at Compassion International.
JOB | Axim Collaborative is hiring a Director, Data and Impact in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
OPPORTUNITY | Drew University's Institute for Emerging Leaders is accepting applications from high school, college, and graduate students for its residential program focused on dialogue, conflict resolution, and collaborative leadership.
JOB (2) | Jennifer Sarafyn reshares two editor positions at The Marshall Project overseeing local news operations with a focus on investigative journalism and community engagement.
JOB | Baraa Kahf shares a senior litigator role on his team at Qatar Airways, based in Doha and open to non-Qatari nationals. Employment law experience preferred.
🤓 This is Your Next
The Faith of Beasts, by James S.A. Corey
🙌🏽 FairNation
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