Victory for voter intimidation?

Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, wants to know what is going on at the Justice (and I use that term loosely) Department.

...why did the Civil Rights Division voluntarily dismiss a lawsuit that it had effectively already won, against defendants who were physically threatening voters? Is the Division concerned that this dismissal will encourage the New Black Panther Party, or other groups, to intimidate voters? Why did the Division seek such limited relief against a defendant who was actually carrying and brandishing a weapon at a polling station on Election Day? What role did the change of administration play in the unusual resolution of voluntarily dismissing a case on which the Division had already prevailed?

Of course, once Obama's Supreme Court nominee is confirmed and we have her self-described "wise Latina" viewpoint on the bench, maybe the Justice Department will act more appropriately.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath, either. Far from moving America into a post-racial future, it seems the election of this particular Chicago-school politician is more likely to set back racial relations under the concept of "payback's a *****." Plenty of change there, but little hope.