Even after Shelby County v. Holder (2013) dismantled Section 5 preclearance, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) remains a powerful federal tool for challenging discriminatory voting practices — and the DOJ still uses it, though its reach is narrower.

Why the DOJ Can Still Use the VRA

• Section 2 remains in force: Section 2 prohibits voting practices or procedures (including redistricting plans and voter registration systems) that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or language minority status, whether intentionally or as a result of discriminatory effect 
• Nationwide application: Unlike Section 5, Section 2 applies everywhere, so the DOJ can litigate in any state or territory 
• Enforcement tools: The DOJ can bring federal lawsuits, seek injunctions, and work with federal courts to block or alter laws that dilute minority voting power 
• Recent DOJ actions: The DOJ has won cases like United States v. State of Alabama, where a preliminary injunction halted a voter removal program after a Section 2 challenge 

What Part of the Weakened VRA Still Allows Federal Intervention

• Section 2 litigation: This is the core remaining federal enforcement mechanism. It can be used to block laws or maps that show racial vote dilution or discriminatory intent 
• Federal court injunctions: Courts can issue temporary or permanent injunctions under Section 2, stopping harmful laws from taking effect while litigation proceeds 
• DOJ as lead plaintiff: In some cases, the DOJ is the only entity allowed to sue under Section 2, giving it significant leverage 

How Advocates and Lawyers Can Use These Tools

1. File Section 2 lawsuits: Even without preclearance, plaintiffs can challenge laws or maps that have a discriminatory effect or intent. This is the most direct way to block restrictive measures.
2. Seek injunctions: Use federal courts to get immediate relief before elections or before laws take effect.
3. Target high-impact jurisdictions: Focus on states or counties with histories of discrimination, where Section 2 claims are more likely to succeed.
4. Coalition litigation: Partner with civil rights groups to pool resources and expertise.
5. Monitor DOJ enforcement: Track DOJ actions to identify patterns and opportunities for coordinated legal challenges.
6. Leverage recent DOJ wins: Use cases like Alabama to build legal arguments and public support.

Bottom line: The DOJ can still use the VRA because Section 2 remains a live, nationwide prohibition on discriminatory voting practices. Advocates can use this by litigating under Section 2, seeking injunctions, and focusing on jurisdictions where the law’s reach is strongest — even if the Act’s preventive preclearance power is gone.

 U.S. Department of Justice

Source: govfacts.org, peopleslawreview.com, factually.co ,

1754 – Kings College opened in New York City. It was renamed Columbia College 30 years later.

1846 – U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.

1862 – The first railroad post office was tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri.

1885 – G. Moore Peters patented the cartridge-loading machine.

1917 – Aleksandr Kerensky formed a provisional government in Russia.

1920 – A device known as the radio compass was used for the first time on a U.S. Navy airplane near Norfolk, VA.

1930 – Construction began on Boulder Dam, later Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River.

1937 – Japanese forces invaded China.

1946 – Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint.

1950 – The U.N. Security Council authorized military aid for South Korea.

1969 – Canada’s House of Commons gave final approval to a measure that made the French language equal to English throughout the national government.

1981 – U.S. President Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. 

1983 – Eleven-year-old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, left for a visit to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov.

1987 – Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began.

1994 – Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in Seattle, Washington under the name “Cadabra.” 

1998 – A jury in Santa Monica, CA, convicted Mikail Markhasev of murdering Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby’s only son, during a roadside robbery.

1999 – In Sierra Leone, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and rebel leader Foday Sankoh signed a pact to end the nation’s civil war.

2000 – Cisco Systems Inc. announced that it would buy Netiverse Inc. for $210 million in stock. It was the 13th time Cisco had purchased a company in 2000.

2003 – In Liberia, a team of U.S. military experts arrived at the U.S. embassy compound to assess whether to deploy troops as part of a peacekeeping force in the country.

1483 – King Richard III of England was crowned.

1699 – Captain William Kidd, the pirate, was captured in Boston, MA, and deported back to England.

1777 – British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution.

1854 – In Jackson, MI, the Republican Party held its first convention. 

1858 – Lyman Blake patented the shoe manufacturing machine.

1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tested his anti-rabies vaccine. The child used in the test later became the director of the Pasteur Institute.

1905 – Fingerprints were exchanged for the first time between officials in Europe and the U.S. The person in question was John Walker. 

1917 – During World War I, Arab forces led by T.E. Lawrence captured the port of Aqaba from the Turks.

1919 – A British dirigible landed in New York at Roosevelt Field. It completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.

1923 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established.

1928 – “The Lights of New York” was previewed in New York’s Strand Theatre. It was the first all-talking movie.

1932 – The postage rate for first class mail in the U.S. went from 2-cents to 3-cents.

1933 – The first All-Star baseball game was held in Chicago. The American League beat the National League 4-2.

1942 – Diarist Anne Frank and her family took refuge from the Nazis in Amsterdam.

1945 – U.S. President Truman signed an order creating the Medal of Freedom. 

1945 – Nicaragua became the first nation to formally accept the United Nations Charter.

1947 – “Candid Microphone” began airing on ABC radio.

1948 – Frieda Hennok became the first woman to serve as the commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. 

1957 – Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon women’s singles tennis title. She was the first black athlete to win the event. 

1966 – Malawi became a republic within the Commonwealth with Dr. Hastings Banda as its first president.

1967 – The Biafran War erupted. The war lasted two-and-a-half years. About 600,000 people died.

1981 – Former President of Argentina Isabel Peron was freed after five years of house arrest by a federal court.

1981 – The Dupont Company announced an agreement to purchase Conoco, Inc. (Continental Oil Co.) for $7 billion. At the time it was the largest merger in corporate history.

1983 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that retirement plans could not pay women smaller monthly payments solely because of their gender. 

1983 – Fred Lynn (California Angels) hit the first grand slam in an All-Star game. The American League defeated the National League 13-3.

1985 – Martina Navratilova won her 4th consecutive Wimbledon singles title.

1985 – The submarine Nautilus arrived in Groton, Connecticut. The vessel had been towed from Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

1988 – Several popular beaches were closed in New York City due to medical waste and other debris began washing up on the seashores.

1989 – The U.S. Army destroyed its last Pershing 1-A missiles at an ammunition plant in Karnack, TX. The dismantling was under the terms of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. 

1996 – Steffi Graf won her seventh Wimbledon title.

1997 – The Mars Pathfinder released Sojourner, a robot rover on the surface of Mars. The spacecraft landed on the red planet on July 4th.

1997 – In Cambodia, Second Prime Minister Hun Sen ousted First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh and claimed to have the capital under his control.

1998 – Protestants rioted in many parts of Northern Ireland after British authorities blocked an Orange Order march in Portadown.

2000 – A jury awarded former NHL player Tony Twist $24 million for the unauthorized use of his name in the comic book Spawn and the HBO cartoon series. Co-defendant HBO settled with Twist out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Congress votes for independence

In 1776, the Second Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, formally adopted Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence from Great Britain. The vote is unanimous, with only New York abstaining.

The Bristol Bay Protection Act is a U.S. federal bill introduced in 2024 (H.R. 8193) by Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) to prohibit and restrict certain actions in the Bristol Bay watershed to protect its salmon resources and ecological integrity  While the bill has not yet been enacted into law, it is part of the broader legislative and legal fight over the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska.

Purpose and Scope

The Act:

• Prohibits the specification of the Pebble Mine project area as a disposal site under the Clean Water Act.
• Restricts actions that could discharge dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands, in the Bristol Bay watershed.
• Addresses the EPA’s 2023 veto of the Pebble Mine, which cited unacceptable adverse effects on salmon streams, wetlands, and fisheries 

Key Environmental Concerns

The bill’s findings highlight:

• Loss of ~8.5 miles of documented anadromous fish streams.
• Loss of ~91 miles of additional streams supporting salmon.
• Loss of ~2,108 acres of wetlands and other waters supporting salmon.
• Adverse impacts on ~29 miles of salmon streams from greater than 20% changes in streamflow

Legislative and Legal Context

• Introduced: May 1, 2024, in the House, referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
• Not enacted: As of now, the bill remains in the legislative process and has not passed both chambers or been signed into law
• Parallel legal action: The Pebble Mine case (Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. v. EPA) is ongoing in federal court, with a major DOJ response deadline in February 2026 and oral arguments in June 2026 
• Alaska Legislature: In Juneau, lawmakers are also debating the Bristol Bay Forever Act, which aims to provide permanent protections for the watershed 

Why It Matters

The Bristol Bay watershed is home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon run and is central to Alaska Native cultures. The Act and related measures seek to prevent irreversible damage from mining-related discharges, which could threaten salmon populations, municipal water supplies, shellfish beds, and subsistence livelihoods 

In summary: The Bristol Bay Protection Act of 2026 is not yet law, but it is a key legislative tool in the ongoing battle to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon and ecosystems from the Pebble Mine. Its fate will depend on congressional action, while the federal court case could set a precedent regarding the EPA’s authority to block such projects.

Sources: Congress.gov, GovTrack.us, MidCurrent