Voting Rights
Opponents claim the Texas law violates the federal Voting Rights Act and is an attempt to cut into the electoral strength of the state's growing minority population — people less likely to have photo identification or the means to obtain a certificate for the election.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX — El Congresista federal Marc Veasey, TX-33, ha hecho pública hoy la siguiente declaración al considerar la corte de apelación del quinto circuito si ratifica o no la decisión de un tribunal inferior acerca de la ley de identificación de votantes de Texas.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX — U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement today as the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will consider whether to uphold a lower-court decision on the Texas Voter ID law.
The case is Marc Veasey, et al., Texas Association of Hispanic County Judges and County Commissioners v. Greg Abbott et al. (cause no. 14-41127). Breitbart Texas reported that on October 11, 2014, U. S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos, a President Obama appointee, issued a permanent injunction requiring Texas to return to enforcing the in-person voter identification requirements that existed before Senate Bill 14 became law.
Plaintiff's lawyers, meanwhile, say they are optimistic.
The panel of judges will have to decide if Ramos was "clearly wrong" in her ruling, and that could be a hard decision for any appellate court, said Myrna Pérez, director of Voting Rights and Elections Project at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "There was a very strong record in this case."
Feb. 23 South, as part of its Civic Engagement Week, will host U.S Rep. Marc Veasey who will discuss his role in the community and the importance of citizens communicating their needs and opinions to their elected representatives. Veasey will be available 11.30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the dining hall (SSTU 1114). For more, call student activities coordinator Stephanie Davenport at 817-515-4803.
Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement in response to federal court ruling against Texas Voter Photo Identification Law:
"Judge Ramos' ruling is very clear; the discriminatory Texas Voter Photo ID law has been overturned and is currently unenforceable. While we don't know for sure how Attorney General Greg Abbott's appeal will affect this ruling, we do know that an appeals court has never overturned a finding by a lower court of intentional discrimination.
Critics of tough voter ID laws are running out of time and options in their efforts to knock down those barriers ahead of this year's midterm elections.
Opponents got good news last week, when a state judge struck down Arkansas's law, and another jolt Tuesday, when a federal judge ruled Wisconsin's law, which wasn't yet in effect, was unconstitutional.
Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ruled this week that the state of Texas must turn over legislators' emails related to the much-disputed 2011 voter ID law they passed: