Appeals court: Texas voter ID law discriminates; orders fix

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' strict voter ID law discriminates against minorities and the poor and must be weakened before the November elections, a federal appeals court ruled, following claims that at least a half-million registered voters could have struggled to cast a ballot.

The Wednesday ruling was a striking election-year victory for President Barack Obama's administration, which took the unusual step of bringing the U.S. Justice Department into Texas to fight the case.

Republicans were dealt a second blow in as many days to a new breed of strict voter ID measures that limits the kind of photo identifications that are valid.

Wednesday's decision came after a three-judge panel ruled last year that the law violated the Voting Rights Act, and Texas appealed.

Opponents countered that trial testimony indicated various bureaucratic and economic burdens associated with the law — for instance, the difficulty in finding and purchasing a proper birth certificate to obtain an ID.

A court filing by the American Civil Liberties Union cited testimony in other voter ID states indicating numerous difficulties faced by people, including burdensome travel and expenses to get required documentation to obtain IDs.