The Brademas Center & Brennan Center Present: An American Problem with Kevin Morris

Join us for a conversation with Kevin T. Morris about his new book, An American Problem: How the Country Built—and the Supreme Court Broke—the Voting Rights Act, coauthored with Michael G. Miller. Morris discusses the book's sweeping history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the attacks it has faced. The Voting Rights Act was a landmark achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, addressing laws that had made it difficult for Black Americans to cast a ballot and expanding participation in the democratic process. In 2013, the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down the Act's preclearance formula, fundamentally changing the federal protections that had been in place. The conversation will explore the history and impact of the Voting Rights Act, the legal challenges it has faced, and what its changing protections mean for voting rights today. The program will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.