Trailblazers blog DMN 2/23/12
Legal experts: Decision on Texas voter-ID law could be a long time coming

WASHINGTON--When Hans von Spakovsky of the conservative Heritage Foundation and Laura Murphy of the ACLU debated about voter-identification laws on Thursday, the two legal experts were coming from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Still, they were able to find at least one view they shared: Neither expects the dispute over Texas' voter-ID law to be decided anytime soon.

"What we do know is that it's very unlikely that these laws will be adjudicated before the election," said Murphy, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office. "The Supreme Court is not likely to hear any [voter-ID] cases before the November 2012 election."

Von Spakovsky, a former Federal Election Commission official, pointed out that Texas, which recently sued the Justice Department for allegedly delaying approval of its voter-ID law, may have to wait for its turn in court behind earlier challenges from South Carolina and Alabama.

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Murphy said the laws are a result of "Republican-controlled legislatures who may fear that low-income people, students, the elderly, the disabled and racial minorities are taking aim at their political powers."