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Appeals Court Allows Texas to Use GOP-Backed Voter-ID Law

Rejects injunction issued last month on the grounds the law is discriminatory.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday gave Texas the go-ahead to enforce a controversial voter-ID law in the state’s upcoming November elections. The law, enacted earlier this year by the Republican-controlled state legislature, would require voters to present one of seven forms of photo ID in order to vote—a move critics say discriminates against minority voters. A panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 on Tuesday to allow a revised version of the law to come into effect, putting a lower judge’s injunction on hold. Lauren Ehrsam, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman, praised the court’s decision, saying it would allow the state to “preserve the integrity of the ballot.” U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos barred the law’s enactment last month on the grounds it could be used to discriminate against minority voters.