The Department of Justice is filing suit against the state of Texas in order to block its recently passed voter ID law claiming that the law is discriminatory, according to ABC News.
Following a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down the "preclearance" conditions of the Voting Rights Act Texas was one of many states to swiftly act and pass a law to change their voting procedures. Under the "preclearance" portion of the VRA areas of the country that had a history of discriminatory voting practices had to have any change of their voting laws approved by the federal government before approval.
The suit being brought by the Department of Justice is not related to the "preclearance" portion of the VRA, instead it charges that the Texas law violates Section 2 of the law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color or language, according to ABC News.
"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 statement. "We will not allow the Supreme Court's recent decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights."
Proponents of laws requiring voters to present a photo ID in order to receive a ballot will help prevent the possibility of voter fraud. Opponents of the laws argue that in person voter fraud is incredibly rare as is and that the laws are made as a back door effort to prevent minorities from voting, according to ABC News.
The attorney general of Texas, Greg Abbott, believes that the actions taken by the Department of Justice are a way of the federal government enforcing "preclearance" on Texas even though it was struck down by the Supreme Court, reports the Austin American-Statesman.
"We will keep fighting aggressively to prevent voter disenfranchisement," Holder said in a statement. "We are determined to use all available authorities, including remaining sections of the Voting Rights Act, to guard against discrimination and, where appropriate, to ask federal courts to require preclearance of new voting changes."
Republicans argue that the Department of Justice is not trying to block the law for any reason other than to try and win more Democratic votes, according to ABC News.
"Facts mean little to a politicized Justice Department bent on inserting itself into the sovereign affairs of Texas and a lame-duck Administration trying to turn our state blue," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement. "We deserve the freedom to make our own laws and we deserve not to be insulted by a Justice Department committed to scoring cheap political points."
