The U.S. Supreme Court has gutted most of the Voting Rights Act. In a Washington Post column after the decision was announced on July 1, EJ Dionne wrote dryly that the day may as well come to be known as “Oligarchy Day.”

EJ Dionne joined Boston Public Radio on Monday, to discuss the ruling, and its implication for American democracy.

He said the Supreme Court decision — with the six conservative justices voting in favor — was “outrageous, given that conservatives always say ‘we don’t legislate from the bench.’”

Dionne said the decision will make it harder for the federal government to go to court to question voting restrictions that may appear neutral but could be discriminatory.

EJ Dionne is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a columnist for the Washington Post. His latest book is Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country.