{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-supreme-courts-decision-gut-voting", "Congressman Cleaver\u2019s Statement on the Supreme Court\u2019s Decision to Gut the Voting Rights Act", "2026-04-29", "2026", "2026-04", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", "cleaver", "https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement after the Supreme Court released their decision in Louisiana v. Callais, effectively gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965.\n\n\u201cFor over sixty years, the Voting Rights Act has been a vital pillar of American democracy, ensuring fair representation and the protection of voting rights that are entitled to every citizen across this great nation. Passage of this landmark legislation, along with the Civil Rights Act, was the seminal moment of the Civil Rights Movement and another step in America\u2019s march toward becoming a true multi-racial democracy, helping to fulfill the promise of our nation\u2019s founding.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s appalling decision by the Supreme Court to unilaterally gut this historic law is not only wrong\u2014it is deeply disrespectful of the generations of African Americans and civil rights advocates who gave their freedom, their blood, and even their lives to make it possible. With one fell swoop, this increasingly partisan and unaccountable court has turned the clock back decades to a time when state legislatures were legally allowed to silence the voices of entire communities based on the color of their skin.\n\n\u201cThis decision reiterates that the current Supreme Court is out of step with the American people. And it was not done in a vacuum; state legislatures have already acted to redraw congressional maps in Missouri and Texas to disenfranchise voters, and this decision will only accelerate those efforts nationally.\n\n\u201cNow more than ever, it is incumbent on lawmakers who genuinely believe in the principles of American democracy to reject the court\u2019s invitation to racially gerrymander our fellow citizens out of representation in the halls of power. Congress can, and must immediately, enact legislation that puts an end to these undemocratic practices and protects the voices and voting rights of all Americans. Failure to do so would be an everlasting stain on this chapter of American history.\u201d\n\n###\n\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.", 1, "2026-06-09T06:27:37Z", "2026-06-09T06:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-supreme-courts-decision-gut-voting"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7162250112742186, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}