Texas NAACP v. Steen

September 17, 2013
Voting Rights & Elections
Restricting the Vote

On September 17, 2013, the Brennan Center and co-counsel filed suit in federal court challenging S.B. 14, Texas’s strict photo voter ID law on behalf of the Texas State Conference of the NAACP and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives (MALC). 

Texas SB 14 was originally enacted in 2011. It is one of the strictest photo ID laws in the nation, requiring voters to present photo identification from a very limited list before being allowed to vote. The law allows Texans to vote with a Texas concealed handgun license, but not with an ID from a public university or a tribal identification card. The law’s strict requirements disproportionately prevent certain groups of voters, including African-American and Latino citizens, from voting in person.

In 2011, the Brennan Center and others filed a successful suit in federal court to block implementation of SB 14 under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The three-judge court unanimously found that the law discriminated against minority voters.

In 2013, the Supreme Court decided Shelby County v. Holder, and by a 5-4 vote rendered Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act inoperable. Within hours, Texas announced that it would implement SB 14. Accordingly, this lawsuit is brought under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the United States Constitution, and requests ”bail-in” so that Texas will have to obtain preclearance for future changes to its voting practices. 

In addition to the Brennan Center, the attorneys representing the plaintiffs are the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Law Offices of Jose Garza, the national office of the NAACP, Law Office of Robert S. Notzon, Potter Bledsoe L.L.P.,  Dechert LLP, and The Law Offices of William Bonilla, P.C.

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