You can read the oral arguments in the Supreme Court case that struck down the preclearance part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: https://www.supremecourt.gov/

You can read the oral arguments in the Supreme Court case that struck down the preclearance part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/12-96.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcr... Under that rule, the federal government had the power to prevent changes to voting rules. To me, the most interesting part of the oral arguments was this exchange: CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: General, is it -- is it the government's submission that the citizens in the South are more racist than citizens in the North? GENERAL VERRILLI: It is not