Elie Mystal: Chief Justice Roberts Has Always Been ‘Enemy of Black People Voting’
Justice Correspondent for The Nation Elie Mystal expects the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts to strike down part of the Voting Rights Act this month, saying that Roberts has always been “an enemy of Black people voting.”
On Black Star Network’s Roland Martin Unfiltered this week, Mystal spoke with host Roland S. Martin about several cases just decided or will be before SCOTUS this month, including on both Affirmative Action and voting rights.
Mystal said it is “almost certain” that “the Supreme Court is going to overturn affirmative action this month,” pointing especially to Justice Clarence Thomas as one of the reasons. He then addressed what the court will do with respect to the Voting Rights Act.
“I do believe it is very likely that the Supreme Court will vitiate Section Two of the Voting Rights Act,” he said. “That’s the section of the Voting Rights Act that just allows you to sue for racial discrimination in voting. It’s the kind of basic operational factor of the Voting Rights Act, I believe, that’s going down this term, this month.”
Mystal said that it seems clear Roberts will be taking the lead and has “kept that case” for himself, and will write the majority opinion.
Mystal, addressing “mainstream media people,” rejected the notion of the Chief Justice as “some kind of moderate, good-guy influence” on the Court, and instead called Roberts has “been an enemy of Black people voting for his entire legal career.”
“These are bedrock American principles that even Republicans agree with, but not John Roberts,” he said. “John Roberts has been our enemy on voting rights for his entire life, and he’s going to continue to be our enemy this month.”
On the voting rights case, I do believe it is very likely that the Supreme Court will vitiate Section Two of the Voting Rights Act. That’s the section of the Voting Rights Act that just allows you to sue for racial discrimination in voting. It’s the kind of basic operational factor of the Voting Rights Act, I believe, that’s going down this term. This month. I believe John Roberts will write that. If you look at the kind of tea leaves of who was written, what case from when, it looks like Roberts has kept that case to himself.
And for all the people – all the media people, especially all the generally kind of mainstream media people, especially – who tend to act like Roberts is some kind of moderate, good-guy influence on the Supreme Court? Make no mistake, John Roberts has been an enemy of Black people voting for his entire legal career. Indeed, his first job after he finished clerking, was to work for the Reagan White House, arguing against an expansion to the Voting Rights Act that was initially that was eventually pushed through, that was conceived of by the late Lani Guinier that was so popular that even Ronald Reagan had to sign that expansion of the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act was confirmed under George W. Bush by a voice vote. These are bedrock American principles that even Republicans agree with, but not John Roberts. John Roberts has been our enemy on voting rights for his entire life, and he’s going to continue to be our enemy this month.
Watch the clip above via Roland Martin Unfiltered.
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