Shelby County, Alabama
Petitioner; Bert W. Rein, Counsel of Record
Shelby County, with a population of slightly under 200,000, is located in the center of Alabama, southeast of the State’s capital city of Birmingham. Like the rest of Alabama, Shelby County is covered by Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), which requires that States and jurisdictions with a history of discrimination against minority voters seek “preclearance” from the U.S. Justice Department [DOJ] before they can make any changes to voting laws and procedures. In April 2010, Shelby County filed suit against Attorney General Eric Holder and the Federal Government, asserting that Section 4 is unconstitutional. After a…
