January 2022

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would have restored the preclearance formula gutted in Shelby County v. Holder and required states with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing voting laws, failed in the Senate on January 19, 2022, unable to overcome a Republican filibuster. The bill had passed the House. All 50 Senate Republicans voted against proceeding. Democrats failed to reform the filibuster to pass the legislation. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia who held the Senate seat previously held by John Lewis's ally, called the failure 'a shame and a sin.'

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would have restored the preclearance formula gutted in Shelby County v. Holder, failed in the Senate unable to overcome a Republican filibuster. All 50 Senate Republicans voted against proceeding. Democrats failed to reform the filibuster. The bill had passed the House. Senator Raphael Warnock called the failure 'a shame and a sin.'

Dylann Roof, sentenced to death for the 2015 Emanuel AME massacre, repeatedly refused to allow mental health evidence to be presented at his trials, fearing it would undermine his stated white supremacist ideology. He became the first person sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Roof represented himself at sentencing, offering no remorse. His case highlighted debates about capital punishment, mental illness, and the treatment of white mass shooters compared to the policing of Black communities. His manifesto, which cited the Council of Conservative Citizens, raised questions about the role of online radicalization.