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Five years ago this month, the Supreme Court eliminated one of the most effective tools for safeguarding the right to vote: It nullified Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in its decision in Shelby County v. Holder. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg observed in her dissent in Shelby, getting rid of Section 5 is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet. History since Shelby has proved Ginsburg right.

About 105 Holland & Knight attorneys firmwide are working on current or new cases in Texas. Another 20 attorneys have volunteered for training to work with detained parents on asylum interviews and bond hearings. The firm is partnering with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services on the work.

“What we do know is the kind of incident involving Ms. Sanders is rare and isolated,’’Clarke says. “It is discrimination based on race, national origin and sexual orientation that we should be concerned about. Those problems are far-reaching, systemic and widespread across our country today.’’

Natasha Quiroga of the Lawyers’ Committee recently visited the facility. She says detainees, most who fled violence in Central America, don’t believe they have any good options. They can stay in detention, apart from their children, until their asylum case is heard. But that could take months. Or they could self-deport to reunify with their kids in their counties of origin. “They were just so desperate to get back with their kids that they’re opting to go this route,” she says, “and it’s not safe for them to go back to their country … and it’s a horrible decision that they have to make.”

“As we approach the 2020 redistricting process, a clear message should be sent that racial discrimination has no place in the redistricting process,” said Kristen Clarke, head of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Unfortunately, the Supreme Court fell short.”