who was to blame for the death of jimmy lee jackson? dr. martin luther king professed as he eulogized jimmy lee jackson at his funeral we are all to blame for his murder. dr. king said it best. a state trooper pointed the gun, but he did not act alone. he was murdered by the truthality of every sheriff who practices lawlessness by the name of law. he was murdered by the irspornt of every politician from governors of towns and on town who fed his constituent the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism. he was murdered by the timidity of federal government that would spend money every day to keep troops in south vietnam and cannot protect the rights of its own citizens seeking the right to vote. and he was murdered by the coudwardness of every kneeing grow who accepts segregation and stands on the sidelines in the struggle for justice. now justice should be blind, mr. speaker, but in many cases it's not. everyone knew who killed jimmy lee jackson, but it wasn't until 40 years later when michael jackson, dallas county's first distr

jimmy lee jackson was shot on the 15th and died on the 23rd. that was in a neighboring town. we did not know that he had gotten shot until the next day because it happened not in the middle of things, but in the periphery. it was out of that shooting out of his death that the idea for the march to montgomery, the capital, was hatched. i could be wrong, but i think it came from sncc, probably from jim bevel. everybody thought it was a great idea. dr. king endorsed it within a few days and said, we will have this march. you know what happened next, there was a march on the seventh of march. dr. king wasn't there, but john lewis, who was at the head of it. you have all seen the pictures. that is what galvanized the conscience of the entire country. >> we have all seen the pictures and we will take a look at them once more. take a look at the monitor. it is from our film that airs on the fourth floor on selma. i want you to take a look at what has become known as bloody sunday. that's take a look. >> march 7, 1965 and john lewis led a group onto the bridge, the first leg of the 5

. >> this week marks 50 years since the shooting of jimmy lee jackson, whose the death at the hands of a highway patrolman at a peaceful protest inspired one of the iconic events of the civil rights movement the selma, alabama march. >> movement leaders had chosen selma as the place to dramatize the demand for the right to vote. after jackson's death a 54-mile march from selma to montgomery was planned. >> fiery young activist john lewis was one of the leaders. >> you are march and demonstrate to the nation and the world our determination to win citizenship. >> the march was not to be. the protesters ran into trouble soon after they started as they tried to cross the edmond perez bridge. >> i had never been to selma but with the anniversary of that march looming .. i went there yesterday and walked across that bridge with now congressman john lewis. and asked him what was going through his mind on that fateful day. >> we were marching in twos in an orderly peaceful nonviolent fashion. on our way to montgomery to dramatize to the nation people wanted to register to vote. i really felt w

today we realize that on the shoulders of that tragic time, where violence claimed the life of jimmy lee jackson beaten by state troopers as he was attempting to protect his mother and others, violence that claimed the lives of reverend james re, ve of boston -- reeve of boston and another of detroit as she returned from the selma march. a time when 25,000 strong or more marched across the montgomery bridge. we understand that our job is yet not done. and so in the wake of the decision by the supreme court that crippled the voting rights act, we as members of the judiciary committee and led by our colleague, mr. clyburn and john conyers, sought to correct that crippling. today i stand and ask my chairman and the speaker of the house to have us put that fix with the new members, the same body of individuals that president johnson convened to be able to ensure that that voting rights act of 1965 could be done. and so it is important to note that we not allow the efforts to go unnoted. mr. speaker, the voter i.d. law in texas needs to be corrected by passing the voting rights amendment. the terribl

jimmy lee jackson was killed by police during a selma protest in february of 1965. saddened by these murders, president johnson reconsidered his unwillingness to promote voting rights legislation he went on national television on march 15 and announced he would support a voting rights bill. despite the southern filibuster the voting rights act was enacted into law on august 6, 1965. this important law has changed the political landscape for african-american communities. it bans the use of literacy tests gives minority communities the right to litigate discriminatory election schemes that dilute their vote. it provides for section 5 that requires certain jurisdictions with discriminatory histories to preclear election law changes with the attorney general. to our great dismay, on june 25 2013 the u.s. supreme court made section 5 unenforceable because the data used to determine covered jurisdictions is outdated, according to the court. the supreme court has now called on congress to modify the formula. to this day, mr. speaker, our republican colleagues have refused

in the name of jimmy lee jackson who died trying to protect his mother and grandmother, in the name of reverend james reed, i ask we stand here today and vote for this legislation to honor them and vote for the re-authorization of the voting rights act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlewoman from alabama reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. the gentlewoman from alabama. ms. sewell: i yield to the gentlewoman from new jersey, ms. watson coleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. watson coleman: i want to thank for bringing up this important issue. i am proud to take this opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation and our respect for the sacrifices that were made by the foot soldiers who marched in those three marches and it is my honor always to be part of this wonderful body that serves along with the -- with john lewis who happens to be one of my personal heroes. you know, this congressional gold medal is just not simply an award. it's embamatic of a selflessness of people who stood up and d