Black Leaders React to Supreme Blow to Voting Rights Act

Disappointed, they say discrimination still exists at polls.

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President Obama Remarks on Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act Ruling - “Today’s decision invalidating one of the core provisions [of the Voting Rights Act] upset decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent…While today’s decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination. I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls,” said President Obama.  (Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images)
Attorney General Eric Holder - "Our country has changed for the better since 1965 but the destination we seek has not yet been reached.  Indeed, a reading of today’s opinions demonstrates that every member of the Supreme Court agrees with this fact – as the Chief Justice wrote, 'voting discrimination still exists: no one doubts that.'  This is why protecting the fundamental right to vote – for all Americans – will remain one of the Justice Department’s highest priorities."   (Photo: Mac Innes Photography/Department of The Taoiseach via Getty Images)Marc Morial, National Urban League - "I'm more than disappointed. The Supreme Court has retrenched. …We will be watching very carefully to see how states react to this, whether there's going to be a rush to introduce voter suppression legislation anew given the Supreme Court's decision."  (Photo: Roger L. Wollenberg/Getty Images)

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A Sad Day for Civil Rights - Disappointing. Setback. Devastating. These are just a few of the words African-American leaders used to describe the Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act. Here's what else they had to say. — Joyce Jones (Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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