Preclearance is a portion of the Voting Rights Act that disallows a state from implementing any change that affects voting without first obtaining clearance from the federal government.

Preclearance currently applies to nine states‑‑Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia‑‑and scores of counties and municipalities in other states, including the boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.

The outcome of the case likely will remain unknown until the end of the Court’s term in June.

Read the full article from the New York Times here.