Tagged: Voter ID Laws

Eight weeks before the presidential election, new laws passed by Republican legislatures that concern who can vote and when remain in the hands of federal and state judges.

Among the cases: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court this week will hear an appeal to overturn that state's new voter ID law. An appeal is expected in a case involving early voting in Ohio. And a federal court is still considering whether South Carolina can go ahead with its new voter ID law.

A federal three judge panel has struck down a new voter ID law in Texas, ruling that it would disproportionately harm Hispanic and African American voters, who are less likely to have the required photo identification. Pam Fessler talks to Melissa Block.

A federal court has rejected a Texas law that would have required voters to show a photo ID before allowing them to cast a ballot, saying the measure would effectively discriminate against racial minorities and the poor.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., said the Texas law — passed by the state's Republican-dominated Legislature in 2011 but not yet enacted — "imposes strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor, and racial minorities in Texas."