After re-weighing evidence, trial court reaffirms finding of discriminatory purpose.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos
Austin, Texas — Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos issued an order on the plaintiff’s claim of discriminatory purpose in Veasey v. Abbott, the protracted challenge against Texas’s discriminatory voter ID law. The ruling, handed down by the court after re-weighing the evidence in the case per the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ instructions, reaffirms the trial court’s finding that SB 14 was enacted with discriminatory purpose.
State Representative Eddie Rodriguez issued the following statement before the committee’s public hearing:
“Today’s victory belongs to all Texans, for state-sponsored discrimination undermines the legitimacy of our elections.
“Although this ruling is gratifying, let me be clear: the Mexican American Legislative Caucus told the Texas Legislature in 2011 that SB 14 would discriminate against Latinos. Republicans shoved it down our throats anyway.
“We cannot afford to allow politically-motivated majorities in the Legislature to disregard the Constitution and pass discriminatory legislation, leaving civil rights advocates to fight uphill battles for years against the taxpayer-funded Texas Attorney General’s Office for any chance at recourse.
“With renewed vigor, I will continue the fight for fair and representative electoral maps with my colleagues in the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. And in the meantime, let all fair-minded people demand that Congress restore the Voting Rights Act so that Texans of color are not left to fend for themselves against the sinister efforts of their state government.”