I’m delighted about today’s Supreme Court rulings on Defense Against Marriage Act and California Proposition 8 and celebrate the vindication of human rights with my friends, gay and straight.
But while we celebrate this victory, we must remember that we have much work to do to protect the rights of all people.
I urge all of my friends, including those who may not feel personally affected by yesterday’s Shelby decision, to work to ensure that the Voting Rights Act continues to protect the ballot for all Americans.
Remember – Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito needed only one more vote for today’s cases to go the other way. And without the protections afforded by the Voting Rights Act, the very people most likely to vote for legislators, governors and presidents who can stand between us and that fifth vote are in danger of being disenfanchised.
So, let’s all join together to cheer today’s decisions and then work together to restore the voting rights protections that yesterday’s decision put at risk.