Survivors of Civil-Rights Martyrs Decry Supreme Court’s Erosion of Voting Rights Act

In April 2026 the Supreme Court struck down the preclearance formula of Section 5 of Voting Rights Act (1965), ending the requirement that jurisdictions with histories of discrimination obtain federal approval before changing voting rules. The decision removes the Act’s enforcement tool.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

The 1965 Act followed a wave of violent attacks on civil-rights workers, including the murders of Viola Liuzzo, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victims, and the killings of James Orange and Vernon Dahmer. Those deaths helped secure federal protection of Black voting rights.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

Children and relatives of the martyrs—Anthony Liuzzo, Lisa McNair, Tamara Orange, Dennis Dahmer, and Cassie Schwerner—call the ruling a betrayal of their families’ sacrifices. Liuzzo’s mother died driving Selma marchers; McNair’s sister perished in the 1963 church bombing; Orange’s father led Alabama voting-rights protests; Dahmer, a Black NAACP president, was fire-bombed for aiding Black voters; Schwerner’s brother disappeared during Freedom Summer. Their accounts connect historic violence to today’s legal setbacks.

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Chief Justice John Roberts, in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, said the Act’s coverage formula was outdated—a view that paved the way for the 2024 ruling. Afterward, Republican-led legislatures in several Southern states redrew congressional maps, eliminating majority-Black districts previously protected by preclearance. No official Court or administration statement is quoted.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

Survivors and civil-rights groups contend the ruling effectively nullifies the Act and threatens minority representation. They argue that removing preclearance lets states impose voting restrictions without federal review, risking Black voter disenfranchisement. Critics of the original law maintain the coverage formula no longer reflects current conditions, echoing Roberts’ 2013 stance.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

The sources do not give exact numbers of districts eliminated or quantitative data on the ruling’s immediate effect, leaving the scale of impact unclear.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

Families of the fallen activists plan renewed activism, urging massive voter turnout and legislative reforms. Dennis Dahmer stresses the need to “remind people of the price that certain families paid for everyone to have the right to vote.” Their goal is to turn personal loss into broader civic engagement.

Some paid the ultimate price to enact voting rights. Their survivors see America turning backward

• “My mother’s blood is on that bill. We were always proud of that, and now it’s gone,” — Anthony Liuzzo

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• “McNair, 61, said she is “physically sick” about the Supreme Court decision and subsequent actions by lower courts and legislatures.” — Lisa McNair

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• “Our family was very out front in the media that the only reason there was international attention was two of the young men were white,” — Cassie Schwerner

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• “relief that my dad is not here to see that; that Jimmie Lee Jackson is not here to see it; that Viola Liuzzo is not here to see it,” — Tamara Orange

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• “Finally, they basically turned it into a relic,” — Dennis Dahmer

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