US Supreme Court Upholds Arizona's Voting Restrictions Ruling

Biden "Very Disappointed"... Schumer House Leader Criticizes "Dark Day"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] On the 1st (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arizona's voting restrictions. This is expected to further intensify the controversy surrounding the voting restrictions being pushed by the Republican Party.

According to The Washington Post (WP), the Supreme Court made this decision with six conservative justices in favor and three liberal justices opposed.

The case concerned Arizona's measures that invalidated votes cast in incorrect districts and prevented third parties from collecting early ballots.

The Democratic Party filed a lawsuit arguing that these measures could lead to voting rights violations against people of color and Native Americans, and the lower court ruled the measures unfair.

However, the more conservative Supreme Court overturned this, siding with the Republicans who argued that regulations to prevent voter fraud are necessary.

Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion, emphasized the importance of preventing fraud, pointing out that "fraud can affect the outcome of close elections."

He stressed that Arizona's restrictions do not violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

Justice Elena Kagan, who wrote the dissenting opinion, harshly criticized the ruling as a "tragic decision." She argued that many states are imposing restrictions in ways that are expected to disenfranchise minority groups' equal voting rights.

President Joe Biden issued a lengthy statement expressing "deep disappointment" in the Supreme Court's decision weakening the Voting Rights Act, criticizing that "this broad assault on voting rights is sadly not the first."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said immediately after the ruling, "If one person, one vote is the foundation of democracy, then this ruling will be recorded as one of the darkest days in Supreme Court history."

On the other hand, Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, welcomed the decision as "a tremendous victory for the rule of law and election integrity."

U.S. media pointed out that this ruling shows a high likelihood that even if voting restrictions reach the Supreme Court, the court will lean toward recognizing states' discretion.

With this Supreme Court ruling, the controversy over voting restrictions in the U.S. is expected to intensify further.

Currently, voting restrictions are being pushed in almost every state, with legislation being finalized mainly in regions controlled by the Republican Party.

The push for voting restrictions accelerated after former President Donald Trump's claims of "election fraud." The Democratic Party has opposed this, arguing it is an attempt to suppress the voting rights of voters of color who tend to support Democrats.

In response, the Democratic Party prepared a bill to prohibit state governments from imposing voting restrictions and sought Senate approval, but the legislation failed last month on the 22nd amid opposition from Republican lawmakers.

AP News reported, "Following the legislative failure and now the Supreme Court ruling, Democratic lawmakers are in an increasingly urgent situation," adding, "With Democrats barely maintaining majorities in both the Senate and the House, passing voting rights expansion legislation is expected to be difficult."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.