Senate Candidates Split On Supreme Court Decision

New Jersey candidates vying for a vacant U.S. Senate seat weighed in on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act Tuesday, drawing contrasting conclusions falling along party lines.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker – one of four Democratic contenders for the seat held by the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg – was first to condemn the high court’s 5-4 decision to strike down the heart of the civil rights-era legislation.

Taking to both Twitter and Facebook following the ruling, Booker said that voting discrimination was “still very real.’’

“As we’ve seen on several recent occasions, most notably in the Texas redistricting plan that federal courts last year described as intentionally discriminatory, the threat to voting rights in America remains very real,’’ Booker later said in a statement. “The Voting Rights Act has been instrumental in the fight against violations of one of our most precious constitutional rights, and Congress must now act decisively to put in place updated, robust protections in accordance with this morning's Supreme Court decision.”

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, also a Senate seat hopeful, said he was “disappointed’’ in the court’s decision that he said would make it easier for states to impose impediments to voting.

“It makes it harder to enforce the Voting Rights Act because states will no longer have to get pre-approval from the Justice Department before imposing things like voter ID laws,’’ Pallone said in a telephone interview. “I would like to see Congress go back and produce legislation that would give that pre-approval back so you don’t get these onerous positions that make it more difficult to vote.”

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, also vying for the Democratic nod to run for Senate, used Twitter to crib from a formal statement released late Tuesday.

"By forbidding the Department of Justice from acting to prevent voter discrimination in America, the Supreme Court leaves no option but for Congress to act, if we are to be true to our founding values of liberty and justice for all,” the statement says.

State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, the fourth Democratic candidate, could not be reached Tuesday.

But Alieta Eck, one of two GOP candidates vying for the Republican nod in the special Aug. 13 primary, issued a statement saying she was bullish on the Supreme Court decision.

“I support the decision issued today on the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court,’’ Eck said in the statement. “I hope Congress is able to quickly update this important law to reflect changing demographics while also respecting the rights of the states.”

Her challenger for in the GOP primary is Steve Lonegan, former Bogota mayor, who could not be reached for comment.