Federal Judges Blocks Texas Voter ID Law, Supreme Court Block's Wisconsin's

[Atomic Cow]

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Texas from enforcing voter ID requirements just weeks ahead of the November elections, knocking down a law that the U.S. Justice Department condemned in court as the state’s latest means of suppressing minority turnout.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi is a defeat for Republican-backed photo ID measures that have swept across the U.S. in recent years and mostly been upheld in court. However, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night blocked Wisconsin from implementing a law requiring voters to present photo IDs.

Gonzales Ramos, an appointee of President Barack Obama, never signaled during a two-week trial in September that she intended to rule on the Texas law — rebuked as the toughest of its kind in the U.S. — before Election Day. But the timing could spare an estimated 13.6 million registered Texas voters from needing one of seven kinds of photos identification to cast a ballot.

The Justice Department says more than 600,000 of those voters, mostly blacks and Hispanics, currently lack any eligible ID to vote.

Gonzales Ramos’ ruling says the law “creates an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote, has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose.” It added that the measure: “constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax.”

Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office said it would appeal.

“The State of Texas will immediately appeal and will urge the Fifth Circuit to resolve this matter quickly to avoid voter confusion in the upcoming election,” said Lauren Bean, a spokeswoman for Abbott’s office.

Early voting is scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 20.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20141009-texas-voter-id-law-blocked-by-federal-judge.ece

That pretty much ensures Scott Walker will lose.  They're likely printing ballots as we speak.

It won't change the outcome in most Texas races, but it might let them steal an an otherwise lost House or state legislature seat.

[240B]

Why not just block elections in whole?
 
If we are going to be so STUPID and idiotic about voter fraud then why even bother?
 
Why don't we just declare that every elected person on Earth is now elected for ever. We know this is what they want. Public servant my ass.
 
They will change the law to keep themselves in power.
 
You would have to be a true Christian. You would have to be a true humanitarian. You would have to think about something bigger than yourself.
 
These slacker loser rejects we currently have are none of that. Idiots and fools go to government. Genius and explorers build and create.

[SPQR]

District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos who made the decision is a Obama nominee.

[jmyrlefuller]

And a minority, who would be affected; i.e., she is not partial and should have recused herself.

Immediate grounds for an appeal.

[flowers]

At this rate they might win big for the mid-terms.

[SPQR]

And a minority, who would be affected; i.e., she is not partial and should have recused herself.

Immediate grounds for an appeal.

 In a court of appeals, an appeal is almost always heard by a "panel" of three judges who are randomly selected from the available judges (including senior judges and judges temporarily assigned to the circuit). Some cases, however, receive an en banc hearing. The next step would be taking it to the next level which would be the circuit court. For Texas, it would be the fifth circuit court