Via State Representative Sylvester Turner

(July 26, 2013- AUSTIN, TX)- The Texas Legislative Black Caucus strongly supports the action by Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice to subject the State of Texas to Section 3(c) of the Voting Rights Act.

By choosing to intervene, the Dept of Justice affirms that it was no accident that federal courts struck down both the State & Congressional redistricting maps, as well as the Voter ID law in Texas as discriminatory and would lead to the retrogression of voting rights for minorities in Texas.

We further disagree with recent statements by the Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General of Texas which suggest that the Dept. of Justice is over-reaching by intervening in the redistricting matter; rather the Dept. of Justice is doing the honorable and right thing- to protect the voting rights of all the citizens of Texas.

By choosing to intervene, the Dept. of Justice affirms that it was no accident that federal courts struck down both the State & Congressional redistricting maps, as well as the Voter ID law as discriminatory in 2012 and would lead to a retrogression of voting rights for minorities in Texas.

I want to remind the leadership in Texas that African Americans and Latinos are citizens too, and deserve to have their rights protected as well.

Kudos to the Dept. of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder for stepping up for the rights of the disenfranchised in Texas.