The Perry Administration does not like laws that prevent Texas from disenfranchising large swaths of voters, so the state's lawsuit against the federal government is being amended to include a direct challenge of the Voting Rights Act.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has amended the state’s lawsuit against the federal government over the rejections of their voter ID law to include a direct strike at the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act.
Abbott argues in the amended complaint that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, amended by Congress in 2006, “exceeds the enumerated powers of Congress and conflicts with Article IV of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment.”
“For the Department of Justice to now contend that Texas cannot implement its voter ID law denies Texas the ability to do what other states can rightfully exercise under the Constitution,” Abbott said in a statement.
The Department of Justice is blocking Texas' new voter suppression ID law because it is discriminatory toward Hispanic voters. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires that states with a history of racial discrimination gain approval from Washington for changes to their election laws.
This is why the state of Texas is now directly challenging the content of the Voting Rights Act. Because it's serving its intended purpose and prohibiting Texas from doing exactly what the law was designed to prohibit.
It seems unlikely to me that their challenge will be successful, but I would like to thank the Rick Perry Administration for removing any doubt that may have existed over their true motives.