The Department of Justice announced today that it plans to sue Texas over its voter ID law and will intervene in the ongoing case over the state’s redistricting laws.
“Today’s action marks another step forward in the Justice Department’s continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a written release. “The Department will take action against jurisdictions that attempt to hinder access to the ballot box, no matter where it occurs.”
It’s the second time this summer that the federal government has singled out Texas in a lawsuit seeking to protect voter rights.
The suits follow a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that found that requiring some states, including Texas, to get federal clearance before making changes to existing voting rules was unconstitutional because it relies on outdated data.
The court left it up to Congress to decide which states should be subject to pre-emptive scrutiny.
After that ruling, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the voter ID law would immediately go into effect. The feds countered the following month with a suit that sought to force the state to continue clearing any changes to voting laws (on the grounds that Texas continues to discriminate against voters).
This month, Dallas County commissioners narrowly agreed to join a lawsuit against Gov. Rick Perry over his intentions to implement the law requiring voters to show ID at the polls.
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