Conservative Vigilantes and the Undoing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Major

Political Science

Abstract

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 forced state and local governments to abide by the Fifteenth Amendment and secured to African Americans the right to the ballot. However, with a recent Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder (2013), the constitutional architecture of federal voting rights law is on unstable ground. But why is this the case even after a huge bi-partisan majority in Congress reauthorized it? My research question is what legal mobilization tactics did conservative legal groups adopt that led to their eventual success in Shelby v. Holder? My paper stands in stark contrast to the majority of legal mobilization research that focuses on a support structure of funding, well-placed political elites, and mass mobilizing of supporters on the ground. Instead, I show how one person and lots of money were able to change a landmark piece of civil rights law. My paper provides an analysis of the conservative legal movement and details the tactics litigators should employ if they want to be successful in the courts.

Faculty Mentor

Megan Francis

Funding Source or Research Program

Political Science Honors Program

Presentation Session

Session A

Location

Plaza Classroom 190

Start Date

21-3-2014 3:45 PM

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Mar 21st, 3:45 PM

Conservative Vigilantes and the Undoing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Plaza Classroom 190

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 forced state and local governments to abide by the Fifteenth Amendment and secured to African Americans the right to the ballot. However, with a recent Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder (2013), the constitutional architecture of federal voting rights law is on unstable ground. But why is this the case even after a huge bi-partisan majority in Congress reauthorized it? My research question is what legal mobilization tactics did conservative legal groups adopt that led to their eventual success in Shelby v. Holder? My paper stands in stark contrast to the majority of legal mobilization research that focuses on a support structure of funding, well-placed political elites, and mass mobilizing of supporters on the ground. Instead, I show how one person and lots of money were able to change a landmark piece of civil rights law. My paper provides an analysis of the conservative legal movement and details the tactics litigators should employ if they want to be successful in the courts.