A panel of federal judges has rejected Texas' new voter identification law, finding that it placed "strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor" and would disproportionately affect minorities in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling on the new law, which would have required voters to present photo identification to election officials before being allowed to vote, is just the latest in a spate of litigation over the flurry of strict new voting laws enacted by Republican-controlled legislatures around the country. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott immediately vowed to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, insisting the voter ID law was valid. Thursday's decision comes as another panel of judges in the same court considers South Carolina's own strict new voter ID law. On Wednesday, Texas' new voting maps were rejected in federal court, too.
