Texas Voters Win: Federal Court Blocks Stringent Photo ID Law

Restrictive ID Law is a Voting Barrier for African American and Latino Voters in Texas

Today, a federal judge in Corpus Christi ruled that Texas’s stringent photo ID law violates the United States creates a substantial burden on the fundamental right to vote, has a racially discriminatory purpose and effect, and constitutes a poll tax..  

“The court’s ruling will enable minority voters to more fairly participate in the electoral process,” said Jon M. Greenbaum, chief counsel and senior deputy director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan organization that represents two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.  “This is a great victory for democracy.”

Under the judge’s ruling, Texas must follow its pre-2012 identification law.   

“The Texas Legislature was determined to adopt the most restrictive photo identification law in the country and rejected repeated opportunities to reduce the law’s negative effects,” said Bob Kengle, co-director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  “It should come as no surprise that the court found a violation of federal law.”