PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Atlanta Bar Celebrates
“
The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
By Harold E. Franklin, Jr.
King & Spalding LLP
“ T h e Vo t i n g R i g h t s A c t
transformed our nation by
ensuring the integrity of the
electoral process...Voting rights
is a profoundly important topic
and has been the primary focus
of my pro bono efforts.”
A
s many are aware, this August marked the 50th
anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act
of 1965, Pub. L. No. 89-110, 79 Stat. 437 (1965). Full
and equal access to the ballot by all eligible voters is among
the most fundamental values of our great nation’s beloved
democracy. The Voting Rights Act transformed our nation by
ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and precious
right to vote and is regarded by the Department of Justice
as the most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever
enacted in this country.
Voting rights is a profoundly important topic and has been
the primary focus of my pro bono efforts for more than a
decade. With the 50th anniversary coinciding with my term
as Atlanta Bar Association president, I wanted to highlight the
issue and the role lawyers have played and should continue
to play in ensuring the cause of justice and the rule of law in
our great nation.
The heroic courage of my good friend and Civil Rights Icon
Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and so
4 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
August/September 2015
many others, including brilliant legal strategist Fred Gray, who
represented Dr. King, Mrs. Rosa Parks, Congressman Lewis
and others, played a critical role leading to the passage of the
Voting Rights Act. We were most grateful that Congressman
Lewis, Fred Gray, and other nationally recognized voting rights
authorities with different perspectives and views agreed to
join us for an historic Atlanta Bar Association program, open
not only to lawyers but also to the community. We are proud
that the Atlanta Bar Association’s August 10, 2015 program
was first-rate in every respect and literally second to none
among the countless other Voting Rights Act programs across
the nation this year. We were fortunate to achieve the goal
of presenting a panel of subject matter experts with diverse
and differing opinions for a thoughtful discussion about the
legal issues surrounding the Voting Rights Act.
The evening began with a panel discussion of preeminent
voting rights authorities, including: Debo Adegbile, a partner
at Wilmer Hale--Mr. Adegbile argued the landmark Shelby
County v. Holder, 133 S. Ct. 2612 (2013), case in the United
States Supreme Court; Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens;
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association