Court Will Quash Key Voting Act Provision—Next Time

Provision forcing local governments, mainly in South, to clear changes with feds at issue

(NEWSER) - The US Supreme Court agreed today to hear a case that challenges a central section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act designed to protect minority voters in discriminatory districts, the New York Times reports. Section 5 of the law, which forces many Southern states and select districts elsewhere to get permission from the federal government before changing election rules, is at issue. More»

Combatants' rights measure lacks enough support to force a vote

(NEWSER) - A bill to allow terrorism suspects to challenge indefinite detention faltered in Washington today as only 56 Senate votes could be mustered to cut off debate on the habeas corpus measure. Sixty are needed for bills to move forward for a vote in the upper chamber; supporters said they might still renew the legislation, the New York Times reports. More»

They say judge strayed too far from legislature's vision

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court threw out a federal court's draft of a Texas electoral map, saying it strayed too far from the one drawn by the state's Republican legislature. The decision, which was issued by the court as a whole, rather than signed by an individual justice, is a near-term win for Republicans, likely guaranteeing them a friendly 2012 map, Politico reports. More»

Only 0.2% of his bills have become law

(NEWSER) - Ron Paul has sponsored 620 measures in his 11-and-a-half terms in Congress, but only one of them has become a law—a bill allowing the sale of a Galveston customhouse to a historical society. That tells you much of what you need to know about Paul’s congressional record, which according to the Washington Post “stands out for its futility.” Of the 47 bills Paul has proposed this year, 32 have failed to attract a single cosponsor. More»

Here's two: Let's vote on weekends and stop making pennies

(NEWSER) - Ezra Klein uses his Washington Post column to give a push to what he sees as logical bills languishing for lack of "partisan passion." Among his first No-Brainer Awards:

• Weekend voting: A bill from Rep. Steve Israel and outgoing Sen. Herb Kohl would end the outdated silliness of forcing people to vote on a Tuesday and make Election Day the first full weekend of November. "Two days when most Americans don’t have to work, drop their kids off at school or rush home to prepare dinner."