Supreme Court Strikes Down Part of Voting Rights Act

Don't believe the hype. While white liberals and their messengers in the mainstream media will deem this SCOTUS decision as "RACIST!!!", the truth is that not only did "history not end in 1965", but it's the Left's own ignorance towards widespread voter fraud (all in the name of making sure blacks continue to vote overwhelmingly Democrat) that partly served as the lightning rod for this case being heard by SCOTUS in the first place:

In a landmark 5-4 decision today, the Supreme Court struck down a section of the Voting Rights Act that designated that the Act applied only to certain parts of the United States. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. 

Section 5 of the VRA dictated that state and local governments in the United States would have to get approval from the federal Department of Justice to change their election laws. Section 4 of the VRA contains the formula that determined which parts of the United States that Section 5 applies to. It was Section 4 of the VRA that the Supreme Court struck down today, which means that Section 5 will go unenforced until Congress can come up with an alternative formula for determining which governments must receive approval for election law changes. 

Notably, Chief Justice Roberts' opinion leaves the possibility that Congress can come up with a legally sound formula that would still limit the Section 5 requirements to only some parts of the United States - but that Section 4 is currently constitutionally unacceptable.

Professor William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection pulled out the key part of Chief Justice Roberts' opinion:

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 employed extraordinary measures to address an extraordinary problem. Section 5 of the Act required States to obtain federal permission before enacting any law related to voting—a drastic departure from basic principles of federalism. And §4 of the Act applied that requirement only to some States—an equally dramatic departure from the principle that all States enjoy equal sovereignty. This was strong medicine, but Congress determined it was needed to address entrenched racial discrimination in voting, “an insidious and pervasive evil which had been perpetuated in certain parts of our country through unremitting and ingenious defiance of the Constitution.” South Carolina v. Katzenbach, 383 U. S. 301, 309 (1966). As we explained in upholding the law, “exceptional conditions can justify legislative measures not otherwise appropriate.” Id., at 334. Reflecting the unprecedented nature of these measures, they were scheduled to expire after five years. See Voting Rights Act of 1965, §4(a), 79 Stat. 438.

Nearly 50 years later, they are still in effect; indeed, they have been made more stringent, and are now scheduled to last until 2031. There is no denying, however, that the conditions that originally justified these measures no longer characterize voting in the covered jurisdictions….

At the same time, voting discrimination still exists; no one doubts that. The question is whether the Act’s extraordinary measures, including its disparate treatment of the States, continue to satisfy constitutional requirements.

RELATED:  Breaking: Supreme Court strikes down part of Voting Rights Act

Politiks As Usual: In The News 5/16/11

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Arrives For Endeavor Launch

Ex-Afghan Spy Chief: I Knew Where bin Laden Was

Why Don't We Hear About George Soros' Ties To Over 30 Major News Organizations

Obama's Hypocritical Rhetoric On Immigration Reform

Education Freedom Is Civil Rights Issue Of Today

U.S. Press Wants Its Al Jazeera English!

Medicare Trustees Cast Doubt on ObamaCare Health Savings

Obama Announces Steps To Speed U.S. Oil Production

David Gregory Accuses Gingrich of Racism for Calling Obama a 'Food Stamp President'

Bertha Lewis On Life After ACORN

Koch Brothers Under Attack By Leftwing Film-Maker

Former 'Alarmist" Scientist Says Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) Based In False Science

Federal Appeals Court in New York Rules Against ACORN

Newsmax.com:

A federal appeals court in New York City has thrown out a decision that barred Congress from withholding funds from the activist group ACORN.

The ruling Friday reverses a decision by a district court. That judge found Congress had violated ACORN's rights by punishing it without a trial.

ACORN describes itself as an advocate for low-income and minority home buyers and residents.

Critics say the group has engaged in voter registration fraud and embezzlement. They say it has violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities.

Wonder if Rachel Maddow will continue to refer to this as some "bogus" issue FOXNews made up just to "scare white people".

2nd Circuit Restores ACORN Funding Ban

AP.com:

A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed the government a victory by temporarily blocking a judge's finding that Congress was wrong to halt federal funding to the activist group ACORN.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan also agreed to expedite the government's appeal of U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon's rulings that the funding cutoff was unconstitutional. Oral arguments were likely to occur before July.

The appeals court's one-paragraph decision to freeze Gershon's two rulings that found Congress acted unconstitutionally will remain in place until the 2nd Circuit rules on the merits of the government's appeal. It acted a day after hearing arguments.

The government had argued that it was necessary to block the Brooklyn judge's ruling to ensure that federal agencies weren't required to commit funds that haven't been appropriated by Congress. It said Congress did the same as several states and localities when it tried to protect federal funds by stopping certain federal agencies from pledging money to ACORN and its affiliates because of evidence of systemic mismanagement by the group.

Good.

Politiks As Usual: In The News 4/5/10

GOP Lawmakers Want RNC Accountability After Nightclub Flap

Quakes Rattle California, Pacific Coast; 2 Dead In Mexico

Dem. Congressman: 'I Don't Worry About The Constitution'

Racism And ObamaCare

The Religion Blog That Hates Religion

ACORN Disappearance 'A Shell Game'

Obama's Census-Form Choice: 'Black'

Limbaugh Hits Back At Obama For Criticism

Obama Is Now Showing His True Colors As A Radical

David Petraues For President: Run General, Run

Dan Quayle: Don't Let The Tea Party Go Perot

The Narcissist-In-Chief Really Does Love Talking About Himself

ACORN Closing After Scandal

FOXNews.com:

The once mighty community activist group ACORN says it's folding.

National ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan says the organization's board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues. Some other national operations will continue operating for at least several weeks before shutting for good.

Scandal enveloped the organization six months ago when video footage emerged showing ACORN workers giving tax tips to conservative activists posing as a pimp and prostitute.

Several big affiliates, including ACORN New York and California, broke away this year and changed their names in a bid to ditch the tarnished image of their parent organization and restore funding that ran dry in the wake of the video scandal.

ACORN's financial situation and reputation went into free fall within days of the videos' release in September. Congress reacted by yanking ACORN's federal funding, private donors held back cash and scores of ACORN offices closed.

Hey, I can't say that ACORN was all bad, they provided many needed services to poor communities throughout the country and even helped me do my taxes one year. But over the years the organization just became a tool of the white, radical Left to push through their agenda and as conservative activist James O'Keefe proved again recently, it was littered with corruption (most notably the 2008 Presidential election). Way past time to put it out of pasture.

Liberal Judge Nina Gershon Gives ACORN Back Its Money

AP.com:

A federal judge who found it unconstitutional that Congress tried to cut funding to the activist group ACORN has rejected a government request to change her mind and has ordered government agencies to make it clear the funding isn't blocked.

In a written ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon made permanent her conclusion last year that the cutoff of funding was unconstitutional. She ordered all federal agencies to put the word out about it.

The Brooklyn judge said ACORN was punished by Congress without the enactment of administrative processes to decide if money had been handled inappropriately. She said the harm to ACORN's reputation continues because the government never rescinded its advice to withhold funding after it was distributed to "hundreds, if not thousands, of recipients."

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, describes itself as an advocate for low-income and minority home buyers and residents.

Critics of the group say it has engaged in voter registration fraud and embezzlement and has violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities.

Last year, a series of videos filmed at ACORN offices around the country sparked a national scandal and helped drive the organization to near ruin. In one video, ACORN employees were shown apparently advising a couple posing as a prostitute and her boyfriend to lie about her profession and launder her earnings; Brooklyn prosecutors said they did not commit a crime.

So in essence, for all the grief the Left gave James O'Keefe for his undercover Pimp scam last year, when all is said and done ACORN still manages to comes out on top (unless Barry somehow appeals this decision and gets it overturned, which I highly doubt he will). To think, every single, nitwit ACORN worker from New York caught on tape lying was recently cleared of any wrongdoing and now ACORN gets to keep all the loot the gov took while continuing to scam the poor and naive. Funny that.

Workers From Liberal Group ACORN Charged With Voted Fraud

FOXNews.com:

Five Wisconsin residents, including two who worked for community organizing group ACORN, were charged Monday with election fraud relating to the 2008 presidential election.

State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced felony charges against Maria Miles, Kevin Clancy, Michael Henderson, Herbert Gunka and Suzanne Gunka.

Miles and Clancy worked for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and are accused of submitting multiple voter registration applications for the same individuals, including each other, to meet voter registration quotes imposed by the community organizing group.

Henderson is charged with one count of voting by a disqualified person and providing false information to election officials. The allegation claims he was on a felony probation and prohibited from voting at the time.

Herbert and Suzanne Gunka are each charged with double voting -- a felony -- by allegedly absentee voting and then going to the polls to vote.

"The integrity of elections is dependent upon citizens and officials insisting they be conducted lawfully. Wisconsin's citizens should not have to wonder whether their vote has been negated or diminished by illegally cast ballots," Van Hollen said.

Anyone think John McCain might want to look into this?

Obama LIES About Relationship With ACORN

Spectator.org:

On the campaign trail in 2008 then-candidate Barack Obama did his best to distance himself from his past involvement with the radical advocacy group ACORN, a new video of his explaining the relationship has surfaced.

He doesn't say anything new. The significance is that there is now video footage of him saying the quotation that had previously only appeared in text form. The quotation, which surfaced in 2008, goes:

When I ran Project Vote, the voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it. Once I was elected there wasn't a campaign that ACORN worked on down in Springfield that I wasn't right there with you. Since I have been in the United States Senate I've been always a partner with ACORN as well. I've been fighting with ACORN, along side ACORN, on issues you care about my entire career.

Project Vote (a.k.a. Voting for America Inc.) is the voter registration/get out the vote arm of the ACORN empire of activism. Obama's campaign paid another ACORN affiliate more than $800,000 to do voter work during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign.

ACORN Eligible For $4 Billion In Federal Taxpayer Money In Obama FY2011 Budget

CRC.org:

Yes, you read that right.

Even with all its troubles, the ACORN organized crime syndicate is eligible for $4 billion (well, really $3.99 billion in CDBG slush funds) in President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget.

That’s because a federal court order issued by a Clinton-appointed judge prevents Congress and the Obama administration from cutting off ACORN.

Will the temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Court Nina Gershon be lifted?

Who knows.

Will ACORN boss Bertha Lewis, who is currently doing a victory lap across America’s TV screens as she celebrates the legal troubles of hidden camera videographer James O’Keefe, ever be investigated for her role in the cover-up of a nearly million dollar embezzlement within ACORN?

Who knows.

Barry takes care of his own, no matter how corrupt they are.

James O'Keefe, ACORN Fraud Buster, Arrested For Wiretapping

CBSNews.com:

James O'Keefe, the filmmaker best known for his documentary exposing problems at the left wing activist group ACORN is now explaining his latest scheme to federal authorities.

According to a federal affidavit, O'Keefe admitted to working with three other men: Joseph Basel, Robert Flanagan and Stan Dai to pose as telephone repairmen and gain access to Senator Mary Landrieu's (D-LA)office in New Orleans.

Court documents show that while O'Keefe sat in the Senator's waiting room, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building in what appeared to be telephone repairmen uniforms, "blue denim pants, a blue work shirt, a light fluorescent green vest, a tool belt, and carrying white, construction-style hard hat." They then allegedly asked to fiddle with the phones in Landrieu's office while O'Keefe filmed them with his cell phone.

After Basel allegedly took the handset off the reception phone and manipulated it, Basel and Flanagan asked to see the main telephone system according to court documents. When asked for identification, the two said they were employees of a telephone company and had left their credentials in their truck.

A receptionist at Landrieu's office was asked how they were caught and told CBS, "Let's just say the outfits were less than convincing."

Well, this was dumb. But then liberals could use some good news so I'm sure O'Keefe's arrest will get plenty of attention.

Politiks As Usual: In The News 12/14/09

Obama Gives Himself 'Solid B+' Grade For First Year In Office

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi Struck In Face At Rally

Senate Approves Government Funding Bill

Judge Rules Effort To Strip ACORN Of Federal Funds Unconstitutional

Newsweek Writer: Open Marriages Key To Ending 'Cheating Scandals'

Harry Reid And Slavery

The Left, From Progressive To Oppressive

Elin Woods Can Learn From Jenny Sanford

Houston Becomes Largest U.S. City With Gay Mayor

Chinese Minister Links 'One-Child' Policy To Climate Change

IRS Hires Hundreds For New Unit Targeting Rich

Copenhagen Climate Summit: 1,000 Anarchists Arrested

Jimmy Carter: Abuse Of Women? Blame The Catholics And Southern Baptists

Laura Ingraham Calls Out Charlie Gibson's ACORN Ignorance

Source

South Park Goofs On ACORN

"But I heard ACORN helps pimps and their bitches..." LOL!!!

Politiks As Usual: In The News 9/28/09

Unemployment Rate For Young Hits 52.2 Percent

Bill Clinton Changes Mind On Gay Marriage, Echoes "Right-Wing" Conspiracy

Social Security Swamped By Early Retirement Claims From Seniors

Dozens Of Pastors Challenge IRS Rules

Def. Sect. Robert Gates: Mistake To Set Afghan Withdrawal Timelines

NYTimes Admits It Blew ACORN Story

Mike Huckabee Shows Republicans The Way

ABC Serves Up 'Family' With PC Message, More Pro-Gay Propaganda

Mass. Democrats Make A Hash Of The 17th Amendment

Dramatic Increase In Americans Declaring No Religion

Finally Exposed: The Scientific Impossibility Of Evolution

Poll: Big Majorities Say Objective Media Is Dead & That Media Back Obama

Bill O'Reilly & Barney Frank Talk ACORN Funding & Investigation

Always entertaining when these two get together.

ACORN Sues Conservative Filmmakers

CNN.com:

ACORN filed suit Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, against two filmmakers who secretly recorded videos embarrassing to the agency, claiming the pair violated state law by recording their conversations without permission of the employees involved.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction preventing the further distribution of the videos.

The recordings represented "clear violations of Maryland law that were intended to inflict maximum damage to the reputation of ACORN," the community organizer's attorney, Arthur Schwartz, said. " … Unfortunately, they succeeded."

Defendants James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute seeking advice on setting up a brothel with underage girls from El Salvador, recorded the videos in Baltimore and three other cities.

Breitbart.com, registered to Washington Times conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, is a co-defendant in the lawsuit. Contacted by CNN, Breitbart had no comment on the suit. O'Keefe and Giles did not respond to requests for comment.

The tapes show ACORN employees suggesting or condoning a series of illicit actions. The two Baltimore employees — Shera Williams and Tonja Thompson, who were fired — are co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

"Although we do not condone what our former employees did, no matter how entrapped they were, we are also committed to our 500,000 members that we will hold the defendants civilly and criminally responsible for their violations of Maryland laws and for the damages inflicted upon ACORN's reputation," said Bertha Lewis, the organization's chief organizer.

ACORN has no shame, really now. This is nothing but an attempt at payback because ACORN got caught out there and lost funding due to the tremendous work of a couple of young, amateur, grassroot sleuths. Now the public heat and embarrassment from their misconduct has gotten to them, so they sue. What a load of crap.

Jay Leno Ridicules Scandal-Plagued ACORN

Any wonder why so many TV scribes are hoping that Leno's new show fails? Whether you like him or not, Leno makes fun of everybody regardless of ideology, while his chief rival Letterman only slams the GOP and conservatives. To think, Letterman's only winning the late-night TV battle now because Leno moved to a different time-slot.

House GOP Votes To Deny Funding To Scandal Tainted ACORN

FOXNews.com:

Republicans succeeded in drawing overwhelming support from Democrats Thursday to eliminate federal funding to a now-scandalized ACORN, the community organizing group that has come under heavy fire in the wake of damaging undercover videos that purport to show counselors giving advice on tax fraud to a "pimp" and "prostitute."

The House voted 345-75 to strike ACORN funding from a student aid bill with two voting present.

Later, the Senate voted 85-11 to eliminate ACORN funding from an Interior Department spending bill.

In the House, the Defund ACORN Act prohibits any "federal contract grant, cooperative agreement or any other form of agreement (including a memorandum of understanding" from being awarded to or entered into with the group. It also prohibits federal funds "in any other form" from being provided.

In the Senate, the Protect Taxpayers from ACORN Act blocks the group from receiving taxpayer dollars.

Two young conservative activists and a grassroots organization get away with exposing systematic corruption within a taxpayer-funded, liberal, non-for-profit group? What were all those Democrats thinking denying ACORN funds like this? Don't they know how RACIST!!! this is?

Jon Stewart Slams Liberal Media's Coverage On ACORN Scandal

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Audacity of Hos
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

When even leftist comics who like to play political pundit from time to time are making fun of your biased ass, you know something's really not right with the world.