In February, we honor and celebrate Black History Month. This year represented a particular milestone. February 3, 2020 marked the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment — the last of the Reconstruction Amendments — which prohibits the federal government or any state from denying or abridging a citizen’s right to vote “based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Yet, hard-fought voting rights must be safeguarded, and attorneys have an important role to play.
Recently, at the National Conference of Bar Presidents’ mid-year conference in Austin, Texas, during a discussion on the current state of voting rights, a panel of experts addressed the resurgence of attempts to erect barriers to the right to vote in some states, particularly since the elimination of preclearance under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013). One speaker, Mimi Murray Digby Marziani of the Texas Civil Rights Project, reminded us that lawyers can help broaden the franchise and make it accessible. “As attorneys, we know how to scrutinize the law as it is. We also know how to imagine the law as it should be. And we can use that power as a right that is promised, rather than a privilege that is only available to some,” she said.
As we head into the primary election on March 3, I encourage each of you to recommit to using your power as attorneys and engaged citizens to ensure that the promise of voting rights is fulfilled, whether by volunteering as a poll worker or election monitor (see details below in Of Note), helping educate students about the importance of voting and elections, or sharing the SDCBA’s judicial evaluations with friends and neighbors to help San Diego voters make informed choices in our local judicial elections. You can find the SDCBA’s judicial election evaluations here and listen to my interview with KPBS describing our evaluation process here.
Thank you for your service to our community.
Johanna Schiavoni
2020 SDCBA President