Speech #890054627

Mr. President. if the Attorney General were to determine that he had no reason to believe that a literacy test was being used for the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color. the amendment would require him to agree to a consent judgment. The amendment would leave the decision to the Attorney General as to whether the political subdivision was presently engaged in violating the 15th amendment. However. if he made a decision to that effect he would be required to consent to the judgment of exoneration. If this bill is merely designed to enforce the provisions of the 15th amendment. there should be no objection to providing that the Attorney General of the United States should have the power to determine whether the literacy test were being presently used to deny or abridge the right to vote on account of race or color. and to require him to consent to the entry of judgment in case he made the determination that the test is not being used for discriminatory purposes.