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First Word: Obama 'deeply disappointed' by Supreme Court ruling

President Obama said he’s “deeply disappointed" in Tuesday’s Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively strikes down a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights
Voters wait in front of the Mt. Pleasant Library November 6, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Voters wait in front of the Mt. Pleasant Library November 6, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio.

President Obama said he’s “deeply disappointed" in Tuesday’s Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively strikes down a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a landmark civil rights law crafted to protect minorities from discrimination at the polls.

"I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today.  For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans," the president said in a written statement. "Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent."

While acknowledging the “setback,” Obama vowed fight keep fighting the effort to end voter discrimination and asked Congress to rewrite that portion of the law now on hold. The justices said lawmakers would need to update the formula used to decide which areas of the country need to get federal permission before making any changes to their voting laws.

We’ll have detailed analysis on the show at 10pm ET. Here’s a look at the headlines shaping our rundown.

  • Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law
  • NAACP reaction to VRA ruling: An 'act of of extraordinary judicial overrach'