The United States on Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law that outlawed discriminatory election practices and became a pillar of modern civil-rights protections. The Justice Department called the statute “a landmark in the fight to ensure every American can cast a ballot free from discrimination,” underscoring the law’s role in dramatically expanding Black voter registration and political representation over the past six decades. While officials celebrated the milestone, legal scholars and civil-rights advocates warned that the act’s core safeguards are under renewed pressure. They pointed to the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder ruling, which removed the federal pre-clearance requirement for jurisdictions with a history of discrimination, and to more recent challenges the Court has agreed to hear that could further narrow the law’s reach. On Capitol Hill, Democrats are pressing to revive and expand the statute through the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, while Republicans back the SAVE Act, which would require voters to present proof of citizenship in federal elections. With Congress deadlocked and state legislatures advancing new voting rules, activists say the 60-year-old law faces its most significant test since its passage.