Changes

==Clinton era violations of the Voting Rights Act==

==Clinton era violations of the Voting Rights Act==

In December 1989 a three-judge district federal court found that [[Bill Clinton]] had violated the Voting Rights Act.  The [[Supreme Court]] upheld the findings of fact in ''Clinton vs Jeffers'' <ref>Findings of the Supreme Court of the United States in [http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/1990/sg900402.txt Clinton vs Jeffers] No. 90-394 (1990) on appeal 730 F. Supp. 196, 198-201 (ED Ark. 1989) (three-judge court), aff'd, No. 89-2008 (Jan. 7, 1991).</ref> the Arkansas Governor and future [[Democratic]] president violated the Voting Rights Act. The Justices wrote,

In December 1989 a three-judge district federal court found that [[Bill Clinton]] had violated the Voting Rights Act.  The [[Supreme Court]] upheld the findings of fact in ''Clinton vs Jeffers'' <ref>Findings of the Supreme Court of the United States in [http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/1990/sg900402.txt Clinton vs Jeffers] No. 90-394 (1990) on appeal 730 F. Supp. 196, 198-201 (ED Ark. 1989) (three-judge court), aff'd, No. 89-2008 (Jan. 7, 1991).</ref> that the Arkansas governor and future [[Democratic]] president violated the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court Justices wrote,

{{Cquote|Bill Clinton does not dispute here -- that violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment justifying [[equitable relief]] have occurred in Arkansas.  In May 1990, the district court turned to those claims, holding that "the State of Arkansas has committed a number of [[constitution]]al violations of the voting rights of [[African American|black citizens]]." J.S. App. A5. In particular, the court determined that the "State has systematically and deliberately enacted new majority-vote requirements for municipal offices, in an effort to frustrate black political success in elections traditionally requiring only a plurality to win."  In 1990...Devotion to majority rule for local offices lay dormant as long as the plurality system produced white office-holders. But whenever black candidates used this system successfully -- and victory by a plurality has been virtually their only chance of success in at-large elections in majority-white cities – the response was swift and certain. Laws were passed in an attempt to close off this avenue of black political victory.}}

{{Cquote|Bill Clinton does not dispute here -- that violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment justifying [[equitable relief]] have occurred in Arkansas.  In May 1990, the district court turned to those claims, holding that "the State of Arkansas has committed a number of [[constitution]]al violations of the voting rights of [[African American|black citizens]]." J.S. App. A5. In particular, the court determined that the "State has systematically and deliberately enacted new majority-vote requirements for municipal offices, in an effort to frustrate black political success in elections traditionally requiring only a plurality to win."  In 1990...Devotion to majority rule for local offices lay dormant as long as the plurality system produced white office-holders. But whenever black candidates used this system successfully -- and victory by a plurality has been virtually their only chance of success in at-large elections in majority-white cities – the response was swift and certain. Laws were passed in an attempt to close off this avenue of black political victory.}}

The court concluded these series of laws passed under Clinton

The court concluded these series of laws passed under Clinton