A Message from Judge Penny Brown Reynolds

I want to talk about that 6-3 Supreme Court decision that basically nullified Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

It is the Louisiana case in which the District Court indicated that the majority congressional district was drawn to make certain that the one-third of Black voters in Louisiana could get representation. And now, the Court has basically put a standard in place that is next to impossible, because you would have to show that the people drawing the maps intentionally did so in a racist manner.

So what I want you to do is not become discouraged. Just understand what’s going on. And when people say that this decision dismantled the Voting Rights Act, I want you to know the facts about it.

The one thing they cannot take away from us is our vote.

Now, they can make it harder. They can make it harder for us to vote. But they cannot take away our right to vote.

So the last thing I want you to do is become discouraged about voting.

We know that in many cases Georgia is ground zero. Those of us who have been fighting for civil rights and voting rights—not just lately, but for me, all of my life—understand exactly what is at stake. I went into law to make certain that I could help those who are most vulnerable.

And so I do not want you, at this time, to believe that all hope is lost.

The Supreme Court has issued blows against us many, many times before. But we always found a way to rise above it. And that is because no one can take away our right to vote. They may make it harder, but they cannot take our rights away from us to vote.

So what I want you to do, more than anything, is go vote.

At this point, this is not about politics. This is about civil rights. This is about the future. This is about our children’s future and your future—about what you will and will not tolerate.

So let’s make certain that we go out and vote.

This decision is a blow, but it is not a fatal blow, because they cannot stop us from voting.”