WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he is deeply disappointed with a Supreme Court decision halting the use of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.

President Obama says in a statement on Tuesday that voting discrimination in the US still exists. He says the high court's ruling is a setback but that efforts to end voting discrimination will continue.

President Obama says the decision overturns well-established practices that for decades have helped making voting fair in places where historically there has been discrimination. He is calling on Congress to pass laws to ensure every American has equal voting access.

The justices said in a 5-4 ruling on Tuesday that the provision cannot be enforced until Congress comes up with a new way of determining which states and localities require close federal monitoring of elections.