Supreme Court Says Arizona Voting Laws are Legal
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Supreme Court said Thursday that Arizona laws banning ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting are legal and do not violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). The vote was 6-3 along ideological lines; Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, saying the requirements "don't exceed the 'usual burdens of voting.'" Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent, saying the Voting Rights Act "should not be diminished by this Court." The decision reversed a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that said Arizona's laws violate the VRA by resulting in racial discrimination. The debate over election integrity and voting rights remains a core political theme; the Justice Department recently sued Georgia over its voting laws, saying they restrict the black vote.
Coverage differed significantly between left- and right-rated sources. Coverage from the left typically framed the laws as restrictive and discriminatory, and highlighted concerns about the ability of minorities to take up legal challenge against voting laws in the future. Reports from the right often framed the laws as justified and highlighted Alito's opinion on why the laws don't violate the VRA.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Arizona Ballot-Harvesting Ban Is Legal, Supreme Court Rules in High-Stakes Electoral Integrity CaseArizona’s ban on ballot-harvesting and out-of-precinct voting does not violate the federal Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 this morning in a closely watched case with implications for future elections.
The court opinion split neatly along ideological and partisan lines with the 6 conservative justices nominated by Republican presidents voting to uphold the state law and the 3 liberal justices voting to strike it down.
The decision reverses a judgment issued by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and comes the week after the Biden administration filed a...
From the Center
Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Election RulesThe Supreme Court upheld a pair of Arizona voting rules against Democratic claims that the state discriminated against minority voters, a decision that could make it more difficult to challenge new state efforts to tighten election regulations.
The court, in a 6-3 opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, ruled Arizona was on solid legal ground in enforcing rules that prohibit third parties from collecting mail-in ballots and disallow votes cast in the wrong precinct.
The decision, issued on the final day before the court’s summer recess, was one of two major rulings that divided...
From the Left
Supreme Court says Arizona limits don't violate Voting Rights ActThe Supreme Court on Thursday said two provisions of an Arizona voting law that restrict how ballots can be cast do not violate the historic Voting Rights Act that bars regulations that result in racial discrimination.
The ruling will limit the ability of minorities to challenge state laws in the future that they say are discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act.
The vote in the case is 6-3 breaking along conservative-liberal ideological lines. Justice Samuel Alito delivered the majority opinion.
The case comes as several Republican-led states, encouraged by former President...
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