‘Discriminatory Purpose’: Federal Judge Strikes Down Voter ID Law Supported by Trump Administration

Obama Administration Opposed Law

A federal judge has struck down a Texas voter ID law that was signed in to law in a supposed attempt to fix a previous voter ID law that was also struck down by a federal court. On Wednesday afternoon U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ruled against Texas and its Attorney General, Ken Paxton, saying the new law clearly had a “discriminatory purpose,” especially against Black and Latino voters.

The Obama Dept. of Justice opposed the Texas law, known as SB 5, but under the Trump administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions supports it.

The original law, SB 14, was struck down in part “over the types of identification the state allowed voters to use, a list that included a handgun permit but not a student ID,” HuffPost reports. 

“SB 5 does not meaningfully expand the types of photo IDs that can qualify, even though the Court was clearly critical of Texas having the most restrictive list in the country,” Judge Gonzales Ramos wrote. “Because those who lack SB 14 photo ID are subjected to separate voting obstacles and procedures, SB 5’s methodology remains discriminatory because it imposes burdens disproportionately on Blacks and Latinos.”

Judge Gonzales Ramos exposed Texas lawmakers’ intent in this passage:

Along with continued provisions that contribute to the discriminatory effects of the photo ID law, SB 5 on its face embodies some of the indicia of discriminatory purpose — particularly with respect to the enhancement of the threat of prosecution for perjury regarding a crime unrelated to the stated purpose of preventing inperson voter impersonation fraud.

In other words, Texas lawmakers wanted to be sure the people they were targeting were punished as much as possible.

Judge Gonzales Ramos was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011, and was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. She had the support of then-Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Senator John Cornyn, both Republicans of Texas. Kay Bailey Hutchison is President Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement calling the ruling “outrageous,” and promising to appeal. He cited the Trump administration’s support for the new law struck down today.

“The U.S. Department of Justice is satisfied that the amended voter ID law has no discriminatory purpose or effect. Safeguarding the integrity of elections in Texas is essential to preserving our democracy,” Paxton said.

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