Man this has been one jam packed week! So much has been going on in this country from Paula Deen still acting a fool to Aaron Hernandez getting arrested. But more importantly several huge rulings regarding minority communities were handed down via the highest government bodies on gay marriage, voting rights and abortion. Normally I’m all for the foolishness, but it is important to take a serious look at the issues some times, so here’s mine.

Voting Rights Act ruled Unconstitutional

What Happened: The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision voided Section 4 of the VRA used to determine which states and communities are subject to extra federal election oversight called for in Section 5 of the act because of a history of or ongoing evidence of minority-voter suppression.

What Does It Mean: Clarence Thomas is still THE WORST, and this could mean huge changes for how elections are handled. By removing federal oversight we could be in for more voter ID laws and swift election changes to really impact the outcome of elections. This is really going to harm minority voters and democrats in the south come the next election.

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tumblr_mozf5uz5CO1r0nqb4o1_500Abortion Bill in Texas dies on Senate Floor

What Happened: Wendy Davis stood on the Texas Senate floor for ELEVEN FUCKING HOURS to fillibuster a bill that would significantly restrict abortion access in Texas. The bill would ban all abortions after 20 weeks, require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at hospitals and only allow the procedure in surgical facilities. They tried to say she went off topic but the LT. Gov came in and said the bill was dead.

What Does It Mean: 1) Wendy Davis is an amazing person. I can barely stand up and talk for 20 mins I can’t imagine filibustering for hours like Wendy Davis. and 2) It’s a great win for the pro-choice movement and 3) its an important reminder that while filibustering can be annoying, it does serve a great purpose when you want to block something.

DOMA ruled Unconstitutional, Prop 8 Dismissed

What Happened: In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court determined that section 20 of DOMA was unconstitutional. Also in a 5-4 decision the Prop 8 case was dismissed.

What Does It Mean: HUGE win for gay rights with legally married couples now being afforded federal benefits and a massive win for my home state getting same-sex marriage back after that Prop 8 bullshit. More importantly, the Supreme Court passed on ruling same sex marriage as constitutional, meaning that it will be up to the states to decide. The fight continues.