Washington, D.C. — House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for Justice Department employees to brief Judiciary staff and provide all documents related to the Department’s actions. Ranking Member Smith requested a response by November 6, 2009.
In the letter, Ranking Member Smith expressed concern that the Justice Department has required a North Carolina town to "reinstate the use of party affiliations in local elections in order to help ensure Democratic candidates are victorious.”
Ranking Member Smith issued the following statement along with the letter:
"Distorting the Voting Rights Act to justify partisan interference undermines the electoral system and is yet another example of the Civil Rights division’s politicizing the Justice Department.
"The Voting Rights Act was intended to address racial discrimination that limits or prevents all Americans from having their voice heard through the electoral process. It was not intended to help ensure the victory of a particular party’s candidates."
Ranking Member Smith's letter to DOJ is attached.
102209 HolderKinstonVRA.pdf
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