The Voting Rights Act, it seems, is not going to be allowed to ease into middle age quietly. There ought to be festivities greeting the Act today, on the 47th anniversary of the day President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the bill which outlawed voter discrimination that disenfranchised African-American voters. Yet, [this year in particular](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/voter_id_card.html) it’s come [under aggressive attack](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/texas_vs_the_voting_rights_act_still.html) by states intent on dismantling the Act. Forget the birthday cake. It may be time to light a candle for the civil rights law. Colorlines.com’s Voting Rights Reporting Fellow Brentin Mock says the VRA’s been under attack for a while now, but this year’s been different. "Certain counties and states have been sling-shotting at the Voting Rights Act for years, but this year they’ve pulled out bazookas and hope to blow a hole right in its heart: [Section 5](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/05/time_to_stick_a_fork_in_the_voting_rights_act.html), which protects voters in certain states and counties that have histories of racial discrimination." As the court case dealing with Section 5 of the VRA winds its way toward the Supreme Court, so much is at stake.