Rep. John Lewis

Courts / Elections

Panel reflects on Voting Rights Act’s past, present and future for its 60th year

Experts convened to discuss the Voting Rights Act's impact, future threats, and the ongoing fight for accessible voting rights in the United States.

August 20, 2025

Rep. Sewell pushes voter protection bill on Voting Rights Act’s 60th anniversary

On the Voting Rights Act's 60th anniversary, Rep. Terri Sewell called on Congress to pass critical voting rights legislation.

August 7, 2025

Edmund Pettus descendant calls for bridge to be renamed

A California man who bears the surname at the center of a debate about how history is remembered has come out in support of renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge. “I share that name of Pettus with secessionists, slave owners, and traitors to the United States,” David Pettus, 72, wrote in a statement he sent to … Continued

August 12, 2020

Selma residents will discuss renaming Edmund Pettus Bridge at Aug. 7 virtual event

A group of Selma residents, in response to the latest push to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge, has organized and will host a virtual town hall meeting to discuss the proposal. The forum can be viewed live on the Facebook page of the Selma Matters Campaign on Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. The group encouraged … Continued

August 4, 2020

State senator calls for Rep. Dismukes to resign over celebration of former Klan leader

"Since first being elected in 1996, I’ve had a policy of not publicly criticizing other elected officials, but at this time I am making an exception since Rep. Dismukes is MY state representative,” Chambliss wrote in a tweet. “He does not represent my views or the views of the vast majority of people in District 88.”

July 28, 2020

Alabama lawmaker faces sharp criticism over celebration of former KKK leader

State Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, is again facing calls to resign over a social media post he made about his participation in an event honoring Confederate heritage. Dismukes posted a photo of himself on Sunday speaking at Fort Dixie the day before, where a yearly event was held celebrating the birthday of Nathan Bedford Forrest, … Continued

July 27, 2020

John Lewis, the giant

“I thought you would be taller.” Those words, embarrassingly enough, were the first I said to Rep. John Lewis. This was five years ago, inside the Selma Interpretive Center, for an interview as part of coverage of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Despite meeting and interviewing — and becoming friends … Continued

July 20, 2020

Push to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge gains steam, but Selma activists want their say

The latest effort to rename the bridge is gaining momentum, with a petition surpassing 300,000 signatures, but residents of Selma are saying not so fast.

July 6, 2020

Nonprofit formed to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge for Georgia Rep. John Lewis

The man behind the online petition to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge for Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who marched across the Selma bridge in 1965 and was attacked along with other civil rights activists, has launched a nonprofit aimed to see the renaming to its end and to remove other signs of the Confederacy. Michael … Continued

June 22, 2020

Council on American-Islamic Relations’ leaders to attend opening of lynching memorial

Dozens of leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the U.S., will join other prominent national civil rights and government leaders at the opening of the Memorial for Peace and Justice on Thursday. The Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the … Continued

April 25, 2018