The combination of skeptical justices and an increasingly partisan political environment has led some experts to predict that the end is near for that requirement, which civil rights groups have called the most effective weapon for eliminating voting discrimination.

The Supreme Court’s recent actions “have indicated that Section 5 is living on borrowed time,” Columbia University law professor Nathaniel Persily told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights last week. “Assuming the personnel on the court remains constant, the question is not whether the court will declare Section 5 unconstitutional, but when and how.”

…The Supreme Court, in a 2009 ruling and again last month, expressed concern about “serious …

CNN will still broadcast the event from a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Atlanta, but an assembly in Ohio will be allowed to pose questions via a livestream feed. The March 6 Super Tuesday vote is heavy with Southern states, including Georgia. But the two-state partnership will give the debate a more national cast.

Moreover, while one candidate of the current four may be willing to slight Georgia and skip the staged confrontation, none are likely to snub Ohio as well.

Ohio and Georgia have the two largest caches of delegates at stake that day. “We’re more or less the two powerbrokers on Super Tuesday,” said state GOP spokesman Chris Kelleher.

A location should be settled on late this week, he said. “Different campaigns have different ideas …

At the Georgia Report, Tom Crawford identified the defectors in an otherwise partisan affair:

[S]even Democrats voted with most of the GOP majority for HR 1162: Alisha Thomas Morgan, Rahn Mayo, Margaret Kaiser, Stacey Evans, Sheila Jones, Karla Drenner, and Ralph Long…. There were some defectors in the Republican ranks as well.

Lawmakers from rural districts, where it’s a struggle to keep public schools in operation, consider charter schools to be a metro Atlanta issue and are concerned that HR 1162 would harm their local schools.

There were nine Republicans from outside metro Atlanta who voted against HR 1162: Tommy Benton, Ben Harbin, Mark Hatfield, Susan Holmes, Tony McBrayer, Tom McCall, Ed Rynders, Kip Smith, and Jason Spencer.

Republicans Jason …

As a public relations disaster, the week’s aborted attempt – the phrasing is intentional — by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to sever ties with Planned Parenthood will quickly become a case study in business schools around the country.

Karen Handel, a former GOP candidate for governor , is interviewed following her resignation from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

The nation’s largest breast cancer charity first announced it would shut off most money to the family planning organization – whose abortion services have long made it a target of pro-life forces. Then, in the face of an unexpected wall of protests, largely Internet-driven, Komen reversed itself.

As the senior vice president of public policy hired to help turn Komen into a Planned Parenthood-free zone, …

In particular, Santorum’s strong showing could be another enticement for Romney, who makes a short visit to Atlanta today, to make a large commitment in Georgia as we get closer to March 6 and Super Tuesday.

Romney still needs to show he can win in a Deep South state – the Republican party’s geographic base. And no, Florida doesn’t count. A revived Santorum, especially one who does well in blue-collar Michigan on Feb. 28, could weaken the Gingrich campaign here by drawing away evangelicals.

That would give Romney, who won most of metro Atlanta in 2008, a decent chance to win a plurality in the state.

*** The campaign of GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich this morning unwrapped an endorsement from former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly and …

Karen Handel, after resigning as senior vice president of public policy for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is interviewed by members of the news media in Atlanta on Tuesday. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

Handel said nothing bad about her former employer – far from it. But in essence, she said that, by giving Planned Parenthood notice in mid-December, Komen allowed the group time to organize a national “pre-meditated” operation “that was nothing short of a shakedown to coerce a private entity to give them grants.”

Last week, Komen had said that Handel, hired as senior vice president in April, had nothing to do with the adoption of the charity’s policy. Clearly that’s not true, given her statements below. But …

Secretary Kemp stated, “After careful consideration of Administrative Law Judge Michael Malihi’s initial decision and all record evidence based on the criteria set forth in this process, I find that the Respondent, President Barack Obama, meets the State of Georgia’s eligibility requirements. President Barack Obama’s name shall remain on the Democratic Party’s 2012 Presidential Preference Primary ballot.”

It feels odd to congratulate Kemp for doing the sane and obvious thing, but there you go.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.

Broken bones could heal in weeks rather than months with the help of a new stem cell-containing gel that University of Georgia researchers have developed.

“We have a long way to go, but we think it’s promising,” said stem cell researcher Steve Stice, who is working with large-animal surgeon John Peroni, a professor in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

The discovery — which the scientists call “fracture putty” — mixes stem cells derived from bone marrow with a gel that can be applied to fractured bones

Note that said stem cells are derived from bone marrow, not human embryos.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.

Below is the letter. Note that Handel says she is declining the offer of a severance package from Komen — which might have required her to keep silent.

February 7, 2012

The Honorable Nancy Brinker

CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure VIA EMAIL

5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250

Dallas, Texas 75244

Dear Ambassador Brinker:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer here in the US – and increasingly around the world.

As you know, I have always kept Komen’s mission and the women we serve as my highest priority – as they have been for the entire organization, the Komen Affiliates, our many supporters and donors, and the entire …

Georgia State Rep. David Casas will announce later this morning that he’s jumping ship and joining with Mitt Romney. At 1:15 p.m., the Romney campaign will convene a conference call for Casas to attack Newt Gingrich. “Over the last few weeks, I have had a serious change of heart,” he explains in a forthcoming statement.

“While I initially supported Speaker Gingrich, his continued attacks upon the free enterprise system that has made our country great are particularly something I will not stand for.” Casas’ parents were political refugees from Cuba, and he was a high school teacher before winning election to the legislature in 2002.

Orginal: One day before Mitt Romney was due in Atlanta for a Buckhead fundraiser, his GOP presidential campaign dropped a first hint that it intends to challenge Newt Gingrich in the former U.S. House speaker’s “home” state.

The Romney issued a press release that listed a …