Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Malia Obama, Sasha Obama, John Lewis, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Adelaide Sanford

President Obama, center, holds hands with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) left, and Amelia Boynton Robinson, right, who were both beaten during "Bloody Sunday," as they walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., for the 50th anniversary of the landmark voting rights march.

(Jacquelyn Martin | AP Photo)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was among the lawmakers joining President Obama in Selma, Alabama, in March to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the protests that led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

On Wednesday, he joined other senators in introducing legislation to restore provisions of the historic law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court's Republican-appointed majority two years ago.

The legislation would cover states with a recent record of racial discrimination, requiring Justice Department pre-clearance of actions affecting voting procedures, including rules such as requiring identification at the polls and drawing legislative district lines. It was this provision that was thrown out by the Supreme Court on a 5-4 vote. The bill also would allow federal courts to require Justice Department pre-approval of actions in states or localities with practices that discriminate against minorities.

"As we confront the myriad of challenges our country continues to face, we do so with the knowledge that we drink deeply from wells of freedom and liberty that we did not ourselves dig," Booker said. "This bill helps to build upon the legacy of those foot soldiers who labored before us to defend the American dream of liberty and justice for all. The right to vote is an American birthright that we all have a moral obligation to protect."

Other Senate sponsors include Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois; Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and its former chairman; and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

House sponsors include U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who was one of the marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 attacked by state and local troopers in an incident known as "Bloody Sunday."

In March, Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.) helped lead an hour of speechmaking on the floor of the House to discuss voting rights in conjunction with the 50th anniversary commemoration.

Obama applauded the congressional action. His spokesman, Josh Earnest, said the measure would "restore the promise of the Voting Rights Act to repair the damage done to this centerpiece of our democracy and honor the sacrifices made by so many who were willing to die to protect the rights it guarantees.''

In recent years, several states controlled by Republicans have enacted legislation requiring voters to show identification at the polls, which the U.S. Justice Department has argued in court unfairly burden minority voters. Some of those states acted after the Supreme Court threw out the pre-approval provision.

The Brennan Center at New York University has reported that 25 percent of voting-age blacks, 16 percent of voting-age Hispanics and 15 percent of voting-age Americans in households earning less than $35,000 lack such identification.

While proponents of ID laws said they were needed to guard against voter fraud, a News21 report said only 10 prosecutions were reported nationally from 2000 to 2012.

"Congress should give this bill the consideration it deserves and work together to protect that most essential right upon which our country was founded: the right to vote," Earnest said.

In Trenton, legislative Democrats have offered a bill to overhaul the state's voting laws, including expanding early voting and automatic voter registration upon applying for a driver's license.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.