FILE - This July 27, 2006 file photo shows President George W. Bush signing legislation for a 25 year extension of the Voting Rights Act on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. The Obama administration and civil rights groups are defending a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court by pointing reformed state, county and local governments to an escape hatch from the law's most onerous aspects. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case, which is among the term's most important. From left are Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)