CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A federal judge will hear closing arguments on tough new Texas voter ID rules challenged by the Obama administration in a trial that could threaten the polarizing law.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will hear closing arguments Monday in Corpus Christi in a lawsuit led by minority rights groups and the office of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Similar voter ID laws passed in other conservative states also have been challenged in federal court, but the Texas law is among the nation’s most stringent..
Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation in 2011 that requires more than 13 million registered voters in Texas to show a photo ID before casting a ballot. Opponents say the law is designed to suppress minority turnout and young people who typically vote Democratic.