One year after John Lewis' death, voting rights bills face bleak future in Congress

Congressman John Lewis' death last year galvanized many Democrats to honor the memory of the civil rights icon by working to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation, and inspired some to endorse eliminating the filibuster to allow these measures to be approved by a simple majority.

During his eulogy at Lewis' funeral, former President Obama said it was necessary to end the filibuster, calling it a "Jim Crow relic." While the use of the filibuster long predates the Jim Crow laws of the 20th century, it was used extensively by senators from the South to block civil rights legislation. "You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for," Mr. Obama said, referring to the Voting Rights Act. As a young civil rights activist, Lewis was beaten and nearly killed while leading a peaceful march for voting rights across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965.