Floor SpeechPartisan Attack2026-04-29

U.S. SUPREME COURT

TradeVoting RightsCivil Rights

Context

On 2026-04-29, Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) delivered a floor speech titled "U.S. SUPREME COURT" in the Senate. The speech addressed trade policy and also covered voting rights, civil rights. It referenced legislation: S2095.

Full Text

U.S. SUPREME COURT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S2095] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] U.S. SUPREME COURT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, earlier this morning, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court took another step toward resurrecting the Jim Crow South. In a decision that for all practical purposes upends half a century of precedent, defies the spirit of the American Civil Rights Movement, and reverses generations of progress toward racial justice, the rightwing Court today essentially declared it valid and appropriate for States to discriminate against racial minorities in drawing districts. The Voting Rights Act--a law written in the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice of Americans who marched, who fought, and died for the right to vote and to prevent racial discrimination--has been diminished once again. The consequence of this decision is as clear as it is dangerous: fewer protections for voters, more power for politicians to draw maps that silence them--particularly historically disenfranchised voters. The conservative Court has tried to make it seem like its decision today was narrow and tailored. But let's be very clear. In the words of Justice Kagan, this decision is a ``demolition''--a ``demolition''--of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It opens the floodgates for States across the South to redraw their congressional districts and make voters of color essentially invisible in our democracy. By some estimates, this decision could lead conservative State legislatures to draw as many as 19 additional seats that favor Republicans in the House. So, far from being a narrow decision, this MAGA Court is trying to give Republicans a leg up--an illegitimate leg up--in future elections. Let me say it again: This case is the MAGA Court trying to give Republicans a leg up in future elections. It is a knife to the heart of some of the most important civil rights legislation that past generations marched for, organized for, and bled for. It will bring back the old, sinister practices long discarded to the dustbin of history: State legislatures diluting, erasing, and overpowering voters of color. Shame on the High Court. Shame on the MAGA Justices for rigging our elections. This did not happen all at once. For years, this Court--beginning with the Roberts decision in the awful Shelby County decision--has chipped away at the Voting Rights Act, decision by decision. Chief Justice Roberts bears a lot of the blame for this awful decision. The commitment of equal representation has been broken before, but every time, Americans have forced it back into the law. Senate Democrats will fight it, once again, to reverse this awful, awful decision. Even before this wretched decision, we knew the MAGA far right was hell-bent in trying to undermine our democracy. ____________________

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U.S. SUPREME COURT Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S2095] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] U.S. SUPREME COURT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, earlier this morning, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court took another step toward resurrecting the Jim Crow South. In a decision that for all practical purposes upends half a century of precedent, defies the spirit of the American Civil Rights Movement, and reverses generations of progress toward racial justice, the rightwing Court today essentially declared it valid and appropriate for States to discriminate against racial minorities in drawing districts. The Voting Rights Act--a law written in the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice of Americans who marched, who fought, and died for the right to vote and to prevent racial discrimination--has been diminished once again. The consequence of this decision is as clear as it is dangerous: fewer protections for voters, more power for politicians to draw maps that silence them--particularly historically disenfranchised voters. The conservative Court has tried to make it seem like its decision today was narrow and tailored. But let's be very clear. In the words of Justice Kagan, this decision is a ``demolition''--a ``demolition''--of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It opens the floodgates for States across the South to redraw their congressional districts and make voters of color essentially invisible in our democracy. By some estimates, this decision could lead conservative State legislatures to draw as many as 19 additional seats that favor Republicans in the House. So, far from being a narrow decision, this MAGA Court is trying to give Republicans a leg up--an illegitimate leg up--in future elections. Let me say it again: This case is the MAGA Court trying to give Republicans a leg up in future elections. It is a knife to the heart of some of the most important civil rights legislation that past generations marched for, organized for, and bled for. It will bring back the old, sinister practices long discarded to the dustbin of history: State legislatures diluting, erasing, and overpowering voters of color. Shame on the High Court. Shame on the MAGA Justices for rigging our elections. This did not happen all at once. For years, this Court--beginning with the Roberts decision in the awful Shelby County decision--has chipped away at the Voting Rights Act, decision by decision. Chief Justice Roberts bears a lot of the blame for this awful decision. The commitment of equal representation has been broken before, but every time, Americans have forced it back into the law. Senate Democrats will fight it, once again, to reverse this awful, awful decision. Even before this wretched decision, we knew the MAGA far right was hell-bent in trying to undermine our democracy. ____________________