Supreme Court denies request to block Texas voter ID law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday denied a request to block a Texas law requiring voters in the state to show certain forms of identification before they cast a ballot.

The move comes after a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday granted a request by the state to stay a lower court decision that struck down the law, meaning the measure will be in effect for the November elections.

The decision, published early on Saturday morning, was unsigned and did not provide a supporting legal argument. Justice Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan from the court's liberal wing, penned a six-page dissent.

"The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters," Ginsburg wrote.

Last Thursday, a federal judge overturned the law, arguing it discriminated against Hispanics and African-Americans and impinged on their right to vote.

On Tuesday, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request filed by the state asking for that ruling to be put on hold pending appeal.

The law is one of a series enacted in mostly Republican-governed states requiring voters to show certain forms of identification before being allowed to vote.

Republicans say the measures are intended to curb voter fraud. Democrats argue the laws are designed to reduce the turnout of certain groups of voters including minorities who tend to vote for Democratic candidates.

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