Virginia Rising

By Olympia Meola, In streamlining the state’s restoration of rights process, it’s increasingly clear that automatic won’t mean overnight. The McDonnell administration on Monday rolled out details of how the state’s revamped restoration of rights process would work after a committee of civil rights groups and others met over 45 days to hash out the finer points of implementation. Read …

Por Mitzi Macias, El debate por la reforma migratoria volvió a tomar fuerza en el Congreso, pero esta vez con todas las miradas están puestas en los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes. Read more here.

By Meghan Lopez, House Speaker John Boehner met behind closed door with fellow Republicans to discuss a plan for immigration reform moving forward. Meanwhile, on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama and Democrats sat down with members of the Hispanic Caucus to detail their strategy. And in between, hundreds of undocumented immigrants marched on DC to put a …

Por Santiago Tavard, Centenares de familias inmigrantes, muchas con niños nacidos en Estados Unidos, gritaron hoy frente al Capitolio, sede del Congreso, las frases “¡Sí se puede!” y “Yes, we can!” en referencia al proyecto de reforma migratoria. Read more here.

Por Luis Alonso Lugo, Decenas de activistas se concentraron el miércoles en las inmediaciones del Congreso para exhortar a los republicanos en la cámara baja que aprueben una reforma migratoria que brinde a los inmigrantes sin papeles la opción de la naturalización. Read more here.  

By Greg Stotelmyer, Ex-felons in Virginia have gotten the call. Governor Bob McDonnell has expanded voting rights to nonviolent offenders who have served their time. That leaves Kentucky as one of just three states, along with Iowa and Florida, where an individual petition is the only way ex-felons can have their voting rights restored. Read more here.

By Mary C. Curtis, In North Carolina, the Supreme Court decision invalidating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act meant full speed ahead for proponents of new voter-ID laws – at least that was the word last week. Read more here.

By Khalil Abdullah, Following the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, President Obama expressed “disappointment” in the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, which all but eviscerated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, and called upon Congress “to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls.” Read more here.

Por Antonieta Cadiz, Hicieron historia y lo sabían. Un voto de 68-32 coronó ayer un gran triunfo para la reforma migratoria. El respaldo más alto que se ha alcanzado, desde la ley de 1986, que legalizó a tres millones de personas. Ahora todo depende de la Cámara de Representantes.  Read more here.

By Marina Villeneuve, As the Senate passed the immigration reform bill, a protester dressed in a blue cap and graduation gown stood up in the visitor gallery and chanted, “Si se puede! Read more here.