Civil Rights News: Government Shutdown & the Economy; Voting Rights; Same-Sex Marriage

Compiled by Tatyana Walker, a Fall 2013 Leadership Conference Education Fund Intern

Danger to Economy Worries Experts Weighing Potential Government Shutdown, Default
The Washington Post
By Zachery A. Goldfarb

According to a variety of economists the potential government shutdown will have a ripple effect, harming financial markets, increasing rates of unemployment and slowing hold back economic activity. Even if the shutdown only lasts a few days, there may still be negative effects on the economy. Delays due to the government shutdown will disrupt lives and cause economic contractions of money feeding in to the economy through basic everyday cores, such as grocery shopping.

Fight Is On Over Efforts to Tighten Voting Rules; Critics See It as a Violation of Voting Rights Act
The Washington Post
By Michael J. Mishak

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate part of the Voting Rights Act that required certain districts to seek approval from the federal government before making changes to election procedures, at least five southern states are making destructive changes to their voting rules. The Obama administration and voting rights advocates are suing these southern states on the grounds that adopting voter-identification laws and tightening voting rules will disproportionately affect minorities. According to Democrats and civil rights groups these changes are political attacks on students and minorities in states with a history of poll taxes and literacy test, despite Republican leaders claim that the new laws are needed to prevent voter fraud.

Lawyers Olson and Boies Want Virginia as Same-Sex Marriage Test Case
The Washington Post
By Robert Barnes

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is joining in the lawsuit against Virginia’s laws prohibiting same-sex marriage, arguing that LGBT people have a constitutional right to marry regardless of where they live. Same-sex marriage activists across the nation are filing lawsuits, encouraged by the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) barring the recognition of same-sex marriages. At the state’s request, Virginia’s lawsuit is on the fast track and many new suits have been files all over the country by the American Civil Liberties Union and many other organizations.