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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Senate approves DC voting rights bill but adds Second Amendment proviso

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] The US Senate on Thursday approved the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 (S 160) by a 61-37 vote. The legislation gives the residents of the District of Columbia (DC) voting representation in the House of Representatives and also gives Utah an additional seat in the House. The Act was introduced into the House (HR 157) by DC delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on January 6 and into the Senate on the same day by Senators Joseph Lieberman (CT) and Orrin Hatch (UT). Approval of the bill may yet be impeded by Amendment 575, introduced by Senator John Ensign (R-NV), which seeks to counter DC's strict gun laws by attempting to "restore Second Amendment rights." The amendment, passed 62-36, calls for the repeal of strict firearms registration requirements, lifts bans on semi-automatic weapons and handgun ammunition, and limits DC's ability to restrict federally allowed firearms and other gun-related provisions. The overall Act has yet to be approved by the House of Representatives. The House previously approved a DC voting rights bill in 2007, although it was later rejected by the Senate. Eleanor Holmes Norton is the current House delegate for DC and is not allowed to vote on the final passage of bills. DC residents have been trying to obtain a voting seat in the House since 1801 but have been opposed on Constitutional grounds. Article I, Section 2 of the US Constitution has stood in the way of such voting rights by granting representation only to the "People of the several States." Supporters of DC voting rights cite Article I, Section 8, which provides that Congress shall have exclusive legislative authority over the District. In December, DC passed legislation increasing the restrictions on gun ownership after the Supreme Court in June prohibited a gun ban in DC on Second Amendment grounds.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 27, 2009 (boomark / email).