Holder-Civil Rights

AG Holder: Protect voting rights provision

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Eric Holder says that preserving a
Voting Rights Act provision facing a Supreme Court challenge is essential to
defending the rights of millions of Americans.
   Appearing Tuesday night at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in
Boston, the attorney general cited recent court battles waged by Justice
Department lawyers on voting rights as underscoring the need to keep the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 intact.
   A month ago, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a constitutional challenge
to part of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. At issue is Section 5, which
requires all or parts of 16 states with a history of discrimination in voting to get
 federal approval before making any changes in the way they hold elections.
   AP-WF-12-11-12 2306GMT