[EL] [EL} Breaking news: Federal court strikes TX ID law

[Justin Levitt]

    BREAKING: Federal Court Strikes TX ID Law
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=66595>

Posted onOctober 9, 2014 5:53 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=66595>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Texas-sized news out of the Lone Star State.  A federal court hasstruck 
down 
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/20141009-TXID-Opinion.pdf>Texas's 
voter ID law.  It violates the Voting Rights Act, it violates the 
constitutional prohibition on poll taxes, it violates the constitutional 
prohibition of unjustified burdens, it violates the constitutional 
prohibition on intentional racial discrimination: indeed, in147 pages of 
opinion 
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/20141009-TXID-Opinion.pdf>, 
there's little that the ID law doesn't violate.

Also extremely important: the court expressly finds intentional 
discrimination relevant to bail-in under the Voting Rights Act, and says 
it will consider a bail-in order in the days to come.  If the court 
indeed follows up with a bail-in order, Texas could become the first 
state brought back under a preclearance regime since/Shelby County/.

I've said before that in Texas, the case for federal supervision under 
the Voting Rights Act flips "New York, New York" on its head: If you can 
make it anywhere, you can make it there.  Stay tuned for appellate 
proceedings on this case ... and also an impact on the pending 
redistricting litigation, where there are similar claims of intentional 
discrimination lurking.

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Posted inelection law and constitutional law 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=55>,The Voting Wars 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>,voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9>,Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>

-- 
Justin Levitt
Professor of Law
Loyola Law School | Los Angeles
919 Albany St.
Los Angeles, CA  90015
213-736-7417
justin.levitt at lls.edu
ssrn.com/author=698321

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