A federal court has ruled against a Texas law that would
require voters to present photo IDs to election officials
before being allowed to cast ballots in November.
A three-judge panel in Washington ruled Thursday that
the law imposes "strict, unforgiving burdens on the
poor" and noted that racial minorities in Texas are more
likely to live in poverty.
The decision involves an increasingly contentious
political issue: a push, largely by Republican-controlled
legislatures and governor's offices, to impose strict
identification requirements on voters.
The ruling comes in the same week that South
Carolina's strict photo ID law is on trial in front of
another three-judge panel in the same federal
courthouse. A court ruling in the South Carolina case is
expected in time for the November election.
