Texas Officials React to New Lawsuit Filed by Department of Justice Against State of Texas Concerning Voter ID
Numerous elected officials in Texas Thursday released statements of condemning the latest lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against the state. This latest lawsuit again alleges that Texas' Voter ID law (SB 14) is unconstitutional.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R) was the first to speak out against the lawsuit. “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," Cornyn said.
He continued, “As Texans we reject the notion that the federal government knows what’s best for us. 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.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry's (R) statement was short and to the point, “The filing of endless litigation in an effort to obstruct the will of the people of Texas is what we have come to expect from Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama. We will continue to defend the integrity of our elections against this administration’s blatant disregard for the 10th Amendment.”
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) was more pointed in his remarks, "Just days after the U.S. Department of Justice arrested a Texas woman for illegally voting five times in the same election, the Obama administration is suing to stop Texas’ commonsense voter ID law. The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that voter ID laws do not suppress legal votes, but do help prevent illegal votes. Voter IDs have nothing to do with race and they are free to anyone who needs one. Eric Holder's outrageous claim that voter ID is a racist plot to disenfranchise minority voters is gutter politics and is offensive to the overwhelming majority of Texans of all races who support this ballot integrity measure.
“By intervening in the redistricting case, the Obama DOJ is predictably joining with Democrat state legislators and Members of Congress and the Texas Democratic Party, who are already suing the State. Also, by challenging the 2011 redistricting plans, Eric Holder is trying to resurrect a law that was never implemented and no longer exists -- and then sue it. The 2011 redistricting plans have been replaced with plans that largely mimic plans drawn by three federal judges.
“Just two months ago the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal preapproval of state election laws. The Court emphasized that the Tenth Amendment empowers states -- not the federal government -- to regulate elections. The Obama administration continues to ignore the Tenth Amendment and repeated Supreme Court decisions upholding states' authority to enforce voter identification and redistricting laws.
“The Obama administration needs to move beyond the cynical politics of race and focus on the real issues affecting the daily lives of all Americans, regardless of their race.”
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R) also weighed in, "Today's decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to sue Texas is, sadly, only the latest manifestation of the DOJ's increasing politicization under this Administration. The U.S. Supreme Court has expressly held that voter ID laws are constitutional, and DOJ’s decision today to attack Texas’ voter ID program is contrary to law.
"Americans overwhelmingly support voter ID laws because they understand that voter fraud weakens our democracy, and unfortunately it is often minority voters who are the victims of that fraud. The Department of Justice should not be working to undermine the integrity of our elections."