When Courts Shouldn't Take the Initiative: Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Initiative Petitions, and Operation King's Dream

Well after the end of the Civil War, the abolition of slavery, and the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, many African Americans were still unable to effectively exercise their right to vote. Finally, in 1965, Congress sought to remedy this situation by passing the Voting Rights Act (“VRA”). The bill was dramatic and controversial, but commentators hail it as one of the most effective pieces of legislation of the civil rights movement.