Supreme Court upholds restrictive Arizona voting laws in test of Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two election laws in the 2020 battleground state of Arizona that challengers said make it harder for minorities to vote.

The case was an important test for what’s left of one of the nation’s most important civil rights laws, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which the Supreme Court scaled back in 2013. A remaining provision allows lawsuits claiming that voting changes would put minority voters at a disadvantage in electing candidates of their choice.

The vote was 6-3, with the court’s three liberals dissenting.

Election law experts said the court’s ruling will make it harder for minority groups to challenge voting laws.

“This significantly dilutes the Voting Rights Act,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “Minority groups will now have to meet a much higher standard beyond showing that a change presents a burden to voting. It puts a thumb on the scale for the states.”