They found "continued evidence of racial discrimination in voting" and decided it was necessary to keep these parts of the law for another 25 years (Congressional Record, 2006). By ignoring Congress' decision, the Supreme Court took away an important tool for protecting voting rights. As Justice Ginsburg pointed out in her dissent, "Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet" ("Shelby County v. Holder," 570 U.S. 529, 2013). She believed that just because the law was successful in stopping discrimination, that didn't mean the protections were no longer necessary. The VRA was enacted during a period of intense civil rights struggle, aimed at dismantling systemic barriers to voting for African Americans and other minorities. Before the VRA, discriminatory practices like literacy tests and poll taxes were widespread, particularly in the Southern states, effectively disenfranchising minority