Kristen McDonald Rivet

FLINT, MI -- U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet joined state and local officials in Flint on Monday, May 4, rallying against a Supreme Court decision that threw out the most powerful part of the Voting Rights Act.

Speaking at Cathedral of Faith Church in Flint, McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, said Congress should act now on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and said the nation’s highest court needs reform.

The Supreme Court last week struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district, opening the door for Republican-led states to potentially eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that the district relied too heavily on race.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is devastating for a lot of reasons, and it’s the latest in a series of extreme positions by this court that are taking our country backwards,” McDonald Rivet said.

“Voters should pick their politicians, and not the other way around,” she said.

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, Genesee County Clerk-Register Domonique Clemons and Flint City Council President Candice Mushatt were among those who joined McDonald Rivet, saying the ruling negatively and disproportionately impacts voting rights for millions of minority Americans.

The event was organized by the Rev. Chris Martin, according to a press release promoting the event.

Neeley said “alarm bells should be ringing across America. Clemons said the ruling further strips away the intention of the Voting Rights Act.

“When the highest court in the land says that racial discrimination is permissible as long as you call it partisanship ... they are attempting to erase people,” Clemons said.

Lawmakers in several southern states are meeting this week to consider plans to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of this year’s November elections.

Civil rights activists have countered with rallies, protests and lawsuits challenging the new redistricting efforts.