The national government dealt a blow to Texas' plans to alter the electoral landscape this fall by not approving (preclearing) two major laws passed in the 82nd Legislature. One was the law that redistricted the states following the 2010 census, the other required photo ID prior to voting. Due to past discriminatory activities, any changes to Texas elections has to be ok'd by a panel of Federal judges - specifically judges in the DC Circuit Court.
They didn't. Since this fits the subject of your 1000 word essay, it would be helpful to understand exactly what was said by the courts and why they denied to preclear Texas' plans. So I want you to plow through the court decisons - and the commentary surrounding them - and explain exactly what the court is saying and not saying.
Click on these for the actual court decisions:
- Texas v. US (this concerns redistricting)
- Texas v Holder (concerns photo ID)
Commentary on each is easy to find.
