Voting Rights Act: Would Congress Reaffirm Section 5?

Congress rejected major changes to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, but not without a fight: If the Supreme Court rules Section 5 unconstitutional and sends it to Congress to fix, there may be hurdles to overcome in getting it reaffirmed, the Huffington Post reports, especially with a more divided Republican Party and some lawmakers who might be unwilling to stand behind their earlier support.

A 56-year-old Ohio man was exonerated last week after spending 13 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction: David Ayers cried Friday as a federal jury found that two Cleveland police detectives violated his civil rights by coercing and falsifying testimony and withholding evidence that pointed to his innocence, according to Your Black World. He was awarded $13.2 million for his pain and suffering.

Group of senators agree on a path to legal status for illegal immigrants: Eight senators who have spent weeks working on a bipartisan bill to overhaul immigration laws have privately agreed on the most contentious part of the draft: how to offer legal status to the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A judge invalidates New York City's sugary-drink ban: CNBC reports that on Monday in Manhattan, state Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling invalidated the city's plan to ban large sugary drinks from restaurants and other eateries. In the ruling, which was announced one day before the new law was to take effect, he said that the regulations are "fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences." City officials, however, say that they plan to appeal the decision as soon as possible and are confident the regulations will ultimately go into effect.

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