WS Chronicle

Supreme Court rejects N.C. General Assembly voting rights actions

To the Editor:

Today [Monday, May 15] we experience a victory for justice that is unimaginably important for African-Americans, Latinos, all North Carolinians, and the nation. The highest Court in the land has rejected the N.C. General Assembly’s improper efforts to inject cynical politics into the Supreme Court’s docket, and instead embraced the sound judgment of the Fourth Circuit, which found that this General Assembly enacted voting laws with discriminatory intent. The Court’s critical rejection today of the N.C. General Assembly’s leader-ship’s position tells the people of North Carolina and across the country that the right to vote unencumbered by expansive restrictions or by racist politicians or racist policies is fundamental, and that under the laws of the land, it will be upheld.

The N.C. State Conference of the NAACP, and all of its local branches are reinforced by this ruling, as we continue our mobilization efforts to educate and assist local communities on their right to vote and the role of ‘we the people’ in our imperiled democracy.  We urge the General Assembly to finally accept that racially discriminatory laws have no place in our democracy, and certainly not when it comes to the sacred right to vote. The legislature cannot erect barriers that are plainly motivated by a desire to disenfranchise African-American and Latino voters and undermine the growing voting strength of communities of color. Now is the time to move forward toward a shared prosperous future for all North Carolinians and to heal the core of our democracy in this State and in this nation.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, 

President

North Carolina NAACP 

Durham

Note: – On May 15,  the U.S. Supreme Court denied the late-filed cert request by leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly for review of NC NAACP v. McCrory, thus reinforcing the long-fought voting rights victory of the people of North Carolina. The Court’s decision lets stand a decision entered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on July 29, 2016, in which the Fourth Circuit struck down as unconstitutional five racially discriminatory provisions of the 2013 “monster voter suppression law” (HB 589), after determining that the challenged provisions “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision,” and “impose[d] cures for problems that did not exist.”

GOP will continue to pursue N.C. voter ID law

To the Editor:

It is unconscionable that Roy Cooper and Josh Stein – who ignored state law and flouted their conflicts of interest to kill voter ID in North Carolina – have now caused the vast majority of voters who support voter ID to be denied their day in court.

In light of Chief Justice Roberts’ statement that the ruling was not based on the merits of voter ID, all North Carolinians can rest assured that Republican legislators will continue fighting to protect the integrity of our elections by implementing the commonsense requirement to show a photo ID when we vote.

N.C. Senate Leader 

Phil Berger (R-Rockingham)

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland)

Raleigh

Note: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 15 that it will not review the state’s voter ID law at this time and set a national standard on the issue, even though more than 30 other states have voter ID laws in place, the lawmakers said. They said the decision comes after Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein actively worked to derail the law, including a February 2017 attempt to dismiss the state’s case that was in violation of state law.

Chief Justice Roberts noted that the rejection of the appeal is not a comment on the court’s view about the substance of the law.

We must hold President Trump accountable

To the Editor:

President Trump’s decision to share code-word intelligence with the Russian ambassador is unacceptable. This action is a threat to our national security, endangers diplomatic relations, and calls into question the administration’s decision making.

It’s time that Republicans and Democrats alike hold this President accountable.

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) 

Washington, D.C. 

Note: Adams released the statement above after news reports that President Donald Trump revealed code-word classified intelligence on ISIS to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

AARP urges Senate to scrap health care bill

To the Editor:

The deeply flawed House [health care] bill would add an Age Tax, increasing health care costs by thou-sands of dollars each year we grow older, and put millions of American families at risk of finding health care unaffordable or unavailable.

AARP urges you [U.S. Senate] to start from scratch and craft health care legislation that ensures robust insurance market protections, controls costs, improves quality and provides affordable coverage to all Americans.

Nancy LeaMond, Executive Vice President 

AARP 

Washington, DC

Note: AARP today sent a letter to every member of the U.S. Senate urging them to start from scratch on the health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The letter comes as AARP also begins to inform its members how each House member voted on the bill.