Voting Rights
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Marc Veasey (D), who was the lead plaintiff in the case against the state, told the Texas Tribune that the ruling gives all Texans a shot at making their voice heard, and called on the Gov. and embattle state Attorney General Ken Paxton to end their efforts on discriminating against the state's minority residents.
Former state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, Max Faulkner Star-Telegram archives
The case, Veasey v. Abbott, carries the names of U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, a Democrat from Fort Worth and the primary plaintiff in the case, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is the defendant.
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Civil rights groups -- later joined by the Justice Department -- responded with a lawsuit to block the law. The case was heard by Ramos, an appointee of President Barack Obama, and she ruled in favor of Veasey in October 2014.
The ruling, which came one day before the Voting Rights Act turned 50 years old, was a narrow victory for critics of the Texas law. It prolonged a long-winding legal battle over legislation that some called the strictest in the nation.
The three-judge panel's unanimous decision sent the case back to a lower court, which will decide how Texas should fix its problems. But for now, the law stands as is.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, the lead plaintiff in the case, said that the court had taken steps toward giving all Texans full voting access.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down Texas' voter ID law:
The Texas law was challenged by U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey (CD33 – Texas) and other minority plaintiffs shortly after it was adopted in 2011.The Veasey plaintiffs have successfully argued that the law is discriminatory at every stage of the litigation.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, will join House Democrats in a press conference calling for substantive action to protect and restore voting rights ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Immediately following the press conference, Congressman Veasey will be available to discuss the latest developments on the Texas voter photo ID lawsuit.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today,Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement as he joins Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Judy Chu, and Rep. Linda Sanchez as an original co-sponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015:
In the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, a new heavily Hispanic 33rd District is drawn while the 6th remains the court-mandated coalition district. The 30th is kept majority black. All three seats are heavily Democratic, and Rep. Marc Veasey likely runs in the 6th. This would allow Hispanic voters to reliably elect their preferred candidate in the 33rd, which is not the case under the current map despite Republican claims that it would do so.
Some districts have significantly more children, felons, and immigrants who are ineligible to vote, and this gives the voters in those districts more political clout. For example, while each district holds the same population, 70 percent of citizens in Lamar Smith's San Antonio district can vote, while only 44 percent of those in Marc Veasey's Fort Worth district are eligible. This means that, in a perfect election with 100 percent turnout, a vote in Veasey's district would carry more weight than one in Lamar's district.