Messing With Texas, Cont.

The Justice Department formally announced today what we expected would occur:  it's joining lawsuits challenging Texas' voter photo id/ suppression law and it's Rethuglican-gerrymandered redistricting plan:

“Today’s action marks another step forward in the Justice Department’s continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “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.  The Department will take action against jurisdictions that attempt to hinder access to the ballot box, no matter where it occurs.  We will keep fighting aggressively to prevent voter disenfranchisement. 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.  This represents the Department’s latest action to protect voting rights, but it will not be our last.”

We certainly hope it won't be the last action by the Justice Department to halt Rethuglican voter suppression efforts, most recently green-lighted by the Shelby County v. Holder decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.  Keep suing their peckerwood asses.

(Photo:  Texas Gov. Rick "Oops" Perry -  yahoo, dimbulb, genital compensator, would-be vote suppressor)

Keep Messing With Texas

Attorney General Eric Holder announced this morning that the Justice Department will challenge Texas in Federal District Court on its clearly discriminatory Congressional and legislative redistricting, which favors the Rethuglican / Stupid Party.  This is the first major test of a State's laws after the Supreme Court nullified Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, containing the requirement of certain States and jurisdictions to pre-clear any changes that would discriminate against voters with the Justice Department.  In his statement to the National Urban League, Holder said, "We believe that the State of Texas should be required to go through a pre-clearance process whenever it changes its voting laws and practices."

Other States have been rushing through such voter discrimination measures as limited early voting which affects working women and students, and voter IDs, which discriminate against urban voters who don't own cars and possess drivers' licenses.  It's a sign that the Rethugs are out of gas and can't appeal to the growing majority of Americans when they attempt to rig election outcomes. We're happy to see the Justice Department vigorously challenging their attempts.