House sends Voting Rights Act renewal to Senate News
House sends Voting Rights Act renewal to Senate

[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) [text; DOJ backgrounder] for 25 years. The renewal bill [HR 9 summary; text, PDF] now goes to the Senate for approval after a final vote of 390-33 [roll call], with only Republicans dissenting. The House rejected several amendments that would have eased the procedures for states to follow, including one that would have decreased the renewal period to 10 years and another that would have dropped the requirement for ballots in multiple languages in districts with many non-English speakers.

House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced [JURIST report] the bill, which is known as the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, in May. It was brought back to the House floor after unanticipated objections by some Southern Republicans forced it off the agenda [JURIST report] at the last minute last month. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.