US Supreme Court leaves electoral law in place

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Supreme Court on Monday avoided ruling on the constitutionality of decades-old electoral legislation intended to protect against racial discrimination.

The court decided that some southern US states can apply for exemptions to a clause contained in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but it avoided ruling on the broader question of whether the clause was constitutional or not.

In one of the most closely-watched decisions this year, the highest court in the United States handed a victory to a small Texas community.

The Texas town wanted the right to seek court approval to opt out of a clause contained within the electoral law.

The legislative clause, which Congress extended for another 25 years in 2006, requires certain US states to obtain...