LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, cofounders of Black Voters Matter, issued this statement in response to today’s Supreme Court decision in the Brnovich v. DNC case: 

“The court’s decision in Brnovich v. DNC is not only dangerous; it’s a political attack on voting rights. Today’s ruling, which allows states to make discriminatory rule changes in our elections as long as they can argue that they didn’t intend to discriminate, guts a key section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and sets the stage for yet another wave of Jim Crow-era voter restrictions. Under the court’s twisted logic, poll taxes, literacy tests, and other voter suppression tactics that we know to be racist would be entirely permissible under the law.

“We need to dispel the myth that the Supreme Court is a neutral body. Of the six justices who ruled with the majority in this decision, three were appointed by Donald Trump, including two who were essentially placed in stolen seats. What we’re seeing is a concerted effort by the Trump administration and the Republican party to weaponize the courts — in the same way that they’ve weaponized the law — to silence Black voters. That’s why, just last week, we stood on the steps of the Supreme Court on the eight-year anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder decision: to remind the justices that partisan politics have no place in the courtroom. And yet today, as state legislatures continue to roll back voting rights, the Supreme Court has taken Shelby to the next level, put another nail in the coffin of voting rights, and further elevated modern-day Jim Crow.

“It’s incumbent on the President and Congress to protect what’s left of our voting rights. We can’t afford to have the Senate drag its feet on voting rights legislation anymore; we need the swift and immediate passage of H.R. 1 and H.R. 4. And as the court continues to politicize the constitution and our basic God-given rights, the Biden-Harris administration must add seats to the Supreme Court bench and appoint justices who will protect the interests of the American people.”

“History shows us that the Supreme Court has often been a tool to protect white political interests, but we will continue to be relentless in building our movement to secure full democracy for every citizen in this nation.”