Pub.L. 89-110

Pub.L. 89-110 is a landmark federal law in the United States, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, with the aim of eliminating racial segregation in voting, as mandated by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This law was a crucial step in the Civil Rights Movement, following the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the Selma to Montgomery marches, which were led by prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. The passage of Pub.L. 89-110 was also influenced by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Legislative history

The legislative history of Pub.L. 89-110 began with the introduction of the bill in the United States Congress by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who worked closely with Congressman Emanuel Celler and Senator Mike Mansfield to draft the legislation. The bill was debated and amended in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, with input from Senator Everett Dirksen and Congressman William McCulloch. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was ultimately passed by a vote of 328-74 in the House and 79-18 in the Senate, with support from Senator Hubert Humphrey and Congressman Charles Mathias. The law was signed into effect on August 6, 1965, at the White House, with Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach in attendance.

Provisions

The provisions of Pub.L. 89-110 aimed to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution by prohibiting literacy tests and other forms of voter disenfranchisement, as seen in the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law also established the United States Department of Justice as the primary agency responsible for enforcing voting rights, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service. Additionally, Pub.L. 89-110 required states with a history of voter suppression, such as Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana, to submit their voting laws to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for approval, as mandated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. This provision was designed to prevent states from implementing laws that would disenfranchise African American voters, as seen in the Jim Crow laws.

Impact and effects

The impact and effects of Pub.L. 89-110 were significant, leading to a substantial increase in African American voter registration and participation in elections, particularly in the Southern United States. The law also paved the way for the election of African American officials, such as Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan, to the United States Congress. Furthermore, Pub.L. 89-110 inspired other civil rights legislation, including the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which were signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and President George H.W. Bush, respectively. The law also influenced the American Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, which were enacted to protect the voting rights of Native American and military voters.

Subsequent amendments

Subsequent amendments to Pub.L. 89-110 have been made to strengthen and expand the law, including the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970, which were signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975 and the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982 were also enacted to extend the law's provisions and provide additional protections for language minority voters, as mandated by the Language Minority Voting Rights Act of 1982. The Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 was signed into law by President George W. Bush, which reauthorized the law's provisions for an additional 25 years and made other technical amendments, with the support of Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman John Conyers.

Legal challenges

Despite its significance, Pub.L. 89-110 has faced several legal challenges, including the Shelby County v. Holder case, which was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2013. The court's decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, struck down a key provision of the law, Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had required certain states to submit their voting laws to the federal government for approval, as mandated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The decision was criticized by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, who argued that it would undermine the law's ability to protect voting rights, particularly for African American and language minority voters. The decision has also been criticized by Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman John Lewis, who have called for Congress to enact new legislation to restore the law's provisions, with the support of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Category:United States federal voting legislation