D.C. Court Rejects Texas' Voter ID Law

Texas’ controversial voter ID bill was struck down again, this time by a three-judge panel in Washington D.C. that determined the bill would disenfranchise certain segments of the voting-age population.

The bill, SB 14 sponsored by state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, requires that citizens furnish a photo ID before casting a ballot, and has been championed by supporters as a necessary tool to stamp out voter fraud in Texas.

Opponents argue that the bill would adversely affect voters who don’t have easy access to an ID, something the court agreed with in its ruling. Under Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, the federal government must approve laws passed in states with a history of racial discrimination.

“We find that Texas has failed to make this showing—in fact, record evidence demonstrates that, if implemented, SB 14 will likely have a retrogressive effect,” the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia judges wrote in their opinion. “Given this, we have no need to consider whether Texas has satisfied section 5’s purpose element. Accordingly we deny the state’s request for a declaratory judgment.”

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the state will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The Supreme Court of the United States has already upheld Voter ID laws as a constitutional method of ensuring integrity at the ballot box," he said in a written statement. "Today's decision is wrong on the law and improperly prevents Texas from implementing the same type of ballot integrity safeguards that are employed by Georgia and Indiana - and were upheld by the Supreme Court. The State will appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, where we are confident we will prevail."

Despite Abbott’s pledge to appeal, the district court’s late-summer decision makes it unlikely there will be time to overturn the ruling before the Nov. 6 general election. The high court is not scheduled to reconvene until October.

The decision comes after a ruling in March by the U.S. Department of Justice, which rejected Texas' application for preclearance saying the state did not prove that the bill would not have a discriminatory effect on minority voters.

Thursday’s decision is a result of a lawsuit filed Abbott filed in January against the Department of Justice after he anticipated denial of preclearance. Abbott sought to have the law implemented immediately and said then that Texas is held to a higher bar than other states with similar laws.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Gov. Rick Perry called the decision a “victory for fraud.”

“Today, federal judges subverted the will of the people of Texas and undermined our effort to ensure fair and accurate elections,” he said. “The Obama Administration’s claim that it’s a burden to present a photo ID to vote simply defies common sense. I will continue to work with Attorney General Abbott to fight for the same right that other states already have to protect their elections.”

The court’s decision is the second time in less than a week that Texas has been affected under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. On Tuesday, a court ruled that Texas lawmakers violated the act when they drew new state House, Senate and congressional maps.

In Thursday’s ruling, the judges said the state was its own worst enemy.

“During closing arguments, Texas’s counsel complained that they had been shouldered with an 'impossible burden' in this litigation. This may well be correct, but Texas’s lawyers have only their client to blame,” judge David Tatel wrote. “The State of Texas enacted a voter ID law that — at least to our knowledge — is the most stringent in the country. That law will almost certainly have retrogressive effect: it imposes strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor, and racial minorities in Texas are disproportionately likely to live in poverty.”

The court added that the case would have been “far closer” if the Legislature passed amendments filed that would have made the law less stringent, including measures that would have waived fees for the indigent who needed documents to obtain an ID to vote, and expanded the range of identifications acceptable under SB 14. Amendments that would have kept DPS offices open in the evening and on weekends, and allowed the indigent residents to cast provisional ballots without photo ID were also voted down or tabled.

Democrats were quick to cheer the ruling and assail the GOP for pushing the issue.

“Their [Republican] law was a dangerous solution in search of a problem, while real problems like having the highest uninsured population in the nation, schools failing to meet federal requirements, and crumbling state infrastructure still go unresolved,” Houston state Rep. Jessica Farrar, the chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement. “It's high time for Attorney General Abbott to stop burning our tax dollars on losing lawsuits meant to make it harder for Texans to vote. Instead of waging a partisan crusade against key protections granted by the landmark Voting Rights Act, he should start focusing on the real issues facing Texas."

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who faces a tough challenge in November against state Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth, said state Republicans missed an opportunity to pass an acceptable bill.

“Requiring photo identification could have, perhaps, been enacted fairly, but Governor Perry and state leaders insisted on forcing through a flawed law that would have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars without protecting a single vote,” she said in a statement. “Texas leaders should be focusing on creating jobs instead of throwing money away on partisan politics.”

Added state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston: “There are more UFO and Bigfoot sightings than documented cases of voter impersonation. After years of testimony and debate, supporters of Texas' voter ID law still cannot prove their case that voter impersonation is even a minor problem in Texas.”

The NAACP, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Brennan Center for Justice issued a joint statement cheering the decision.

“In 2011, a wave of suppressive laws passed that could make it significantly harder for millions of eligible Americans to cast ballots this fall,” the groups stated. “The Texas decision marks the first time a federal court has blocked a restrictive voter ID law, and the second time this week that Texas has been found to have violated the federal Voting Rights Act.”

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he was disappointed, but said the decision is ultimately up to the country’s high court.

“The Supreme Court will have the final say as Texas fights to preserve the integrity of the voting process with a commonsense, constitutional law vital to the health of our democracy,” he said in a statement.

Voucher Issue Makes a Comeback

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s announcement that he intends to run for re-election almost got one-upped by another he made at the same time at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

He also used his speech to the Texas delegation there to make clear his intent to work with an erstwhile rival, Sen. Dan Patrick, on a key piece of education reform: school choice programs, possibly private school vouchers.

Dewhurst said it was too early to talk about the details about what form the legislation might take, but said he favored expanding parental choice in public education. In a speech to the Texas delegation Thursday, Patrick, the Houston Republican who is one of two likely picks to lead the Senate Education Committee, further laid out the case for what he called the “the civil rights issue of our time.” 

The remarks from the two senators are the latest in what appears to be a concerted effort to fire up the party’s conservative base in favor of the reform. This week Gov. Rick Perry appointed former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams — a Tea Party favorite who has spoken in favor of vouchers to lead the Texas Education Agency this week. Patrick also recently led an interim committee hearing on the subject, featuring witnesses from national conservative think-tanks like the Heartland Institute and the Friedman Foundation.

All of that has contributed to speculation about the possibility of a successful voucher bill during the next legislative session. Proponents of the legislation, who have tried to enact vouchers laws of various forms since the mid 1990s, have reasons to like their chances this time around. There’s a far-right-leaning Senate with the possible votes to suspend the tradition of requiring two-thirds approval to bring legislation to the floor, a general dissatisfaction with the performance of public schools and a vocal contingent of budget hawks demanding further frugality from state government.

But it will still be a tough fight. Despite a growing chorus of voices pushing the measure on the far right, if past struggles are any guide, state Republicans are not unified in their support for it.

Sen. John Carona, R- Dallas, has been outspoken against private school vouchers in the past. After Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, the chairman of the House Administration, opposed voucher legislation in the 2005 session, San Antonio businessman James Leninger spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to unseat him in the 2006 primary. Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, defeated former education chairman Kent Grusendorf as an anti-voucher candidate.

Along with Patrick, Sen. Kel Seliger is also frequently mentioned as a possible leader on public education issues. The Amarillo Republican said he was still learning about the various forms school choice can take, and needed more time to consider the issue before he made up his mind. Though he said there would certainly be voucher bills filed during the session — and noted the governor’s support of them — he questioned how much demand existed for such reforms.

“I don’t think it's that big of deal for that many people,” he said. “I think it's a priority for some people, but there is also a lot of very strong opposition.”

Texas Weekly Newsreel: Redistricting Maps, Dewhurst

This week on the Newsreel: Redistricting maps tossed, Dewhurst runs for re-election, and the Senate's committees are being reorganized.

Inside Intelligence: From the Presidency to Vouchers

This week, with the Republicans in convention and the Democrats on the way, we asked the insiders the question of the season: Who’ll be the next president? Sixty percent think it will be Barack Obama, 35 percent predict Mitt Romney and the rest were undecided.

If Romney wins, 41 percent said Gov. Rick Perry would be more likely to seek reelection in 2014, but 47 percent think he would be less likely.

While at the GOP convention, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst told delegates he’s going to seek another term in 2014. Would he be the favorite to win? According to most of the insiders — 55 percent — the answer is no.

Dewhurst also said he will join the push for school vouchers this session. The governor is on board and named an education commissioner — Michael Williams — who favors a voucher program. Does all that talk increase the chances for vouchers in Texas? Most of the insiders — 62 percent — say it does.

All of their verbatim comments to the questions are attached. Here’s a sampling:

.

Who will win the presidency in November?

• "It is too early to call the election, anything can happen between and November.  With the Conventions, then the debates as well as the economic forecast anything is possible. What is clear is that the GOP white voters according to a recent Pew Survey has grown by almost 8%, this clearly gives Romney the advantage."

• "Depends on the debates, but the economic trend line will sink Obama"

• "This week's hoopla aside, Obama still leads in most of the battleground states -- and the Dem's haven't yet begun to fight."

• "When it's all said and done - it always boils down to who the majority of voters on election day believe is the most charismatic.  This pains me greatly this election."

• "It's the economy stupid."

• "The tide is turning. Obama is under 50% in all polls. Sour economy. No effort to paint a vision for the future. All negative. No reach to the middle. All of these are signs of a losing position. It may not be even close before it's over."

• "Polls have been very steady for months, suggesting a narrow Obama victory in the popular vote and a significantly broader victory in the Electoral College."

• "We are doing everything possible to get Romney elected . . . so I'm saying and hoping he'll win.  Am a bit disturbed over the rules drama unfolding at the convention.  Not the best time to upset the apple cart.  R's need to get it together or they will blow this golden opportunity."

• "The president won't lose by Jimmy Carter proportions, but the result will be the same. There just isn't enough 'there' there to motivate the swing voters who swept him into office four years ago.  Aloha, Barry!"

.

If Mitt Romney wins in November, is Rick Perry more or less likely to seek reelection in 2014?

• "It would push his chance to run for president to 2020, at which point his slogan will be 'one tough grandpa!'"

• "I don't think the two are really related.  Barring a significant development, Perry is unlikely to get a second chance to run for President, even if Obama wins.  There are just too many qualified candidates in front of him."

• "He is going to run for re-election no matter what."

• "The perceived path to the White House for Perry gets four years longer. He won't want to wait that long and voters may finally seek a change in the Governor's Mansion."

• "Doesn't matter what happens to Mitt.  Rick is done going forward even if he does run."

• "It is difficult to take seriously the idea that Perry will run for the presidency again -- so I have decided not to."

• "The Guv is done and it has everything to do with this year's primary. Who would've thought the Guv would become a moderate/establishment figure."

• "Absent Obama, Perry has no natural message foil to push against."

.

Now that David Dewhurst says he will seek reelection, would you say he is the favorite to win the race for lieutenant governor?

• "Wasn’t he favored for U.S. Senate?"

• "Any grassroots conservative could take him out -- Patterson, Patrick, someone we haven't thought of yet --"

• "Why are we acting surprised that he said he would run for reelection? As if the Dew were going to grant himself lame(r) duck status right before session? C'mon. His claim that he'll run is meaningless for now."

• "No but he should be.  He deserves another term if he wants it."

• "He has just shown he is easily beatable in a primary. What is going to make him a stronger candidate in two years?"

• "Hard to beat an incumbent...even when the playbook to defeat him has been written."

• "Dead. Man. Walking."

• "It would be spin (or worse) to call Dewhurst the favorite.  As Patterson is definitely in, there will be a contested primary and that may entice others to join the fight.  To accurately handicap the race we need a fact that is not available yet: how many candidates will be on the Republican ballot for Lt Gov in March 2014 (and who are they)?"

• "Unless Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has a substantially more conservative agenda that actually passes and becomes law in 2013 he is susceptible to attack from the right.  Just passing conservative legislation out of the Senate does not seem to placate the Republican Party faithful.  Quite simply, Ted Cruz has given Greg Abbott the roadmap for how to beat Dewhurst."

• "What have we just learned - money really doesn't matter - nor does being conservative - it's all perception baby!"

• "Yes, but not a prohibitive favorite. He's not scaring anyone out of that race now."

.

Do recent appointments and comments from state leaders improve the legislative chances for school vouchers next session?

• "Even with a big push from above, the people will have to decide whether they will let any regulatory strings be attached to private schools."

• "Hopefully.  It is time.  Democrats should stop protecting lousy schools and fighting this issue as if it were a crime against humanity.  Give parents a vouchers option -- can't be worse that what the public schools are already doing."

• "'Remember the Ardmore,' will be new Texas battle cry."

• "House repubs are scarred to death of political ramifications. Bet pub Ed chair will find a way to stand up to Dan Patrick and let it die a slow death in committee"

• "If passed you will see another sea change of house membership as voters respond to attack on public schools."

• "They don't 'improve' the chances but they reflect where the leadership stands."

• "Recent appointments and comments do not improve the chances for school vouchers. The new make-up of the legislature - in the House and Senate...THAT'S what improves the chances."

• "Democrats + rural Republicans who listen to their constituents + moderate Republicans = No Vouchers"

• "Even without Patrick running Senate Ed (and he might be even more effective on vouchers if he's not chairing), the fear of the right from Dew and others will move this along, and huge freshman/sophomore classes in House will be happy to oblige."

• "Vouchers still don't help the rural members."

Our thanks to this week’s participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, Jenny Aghamalian, Victor Alcorta, Clyde Alexander, David Anthony, Jay Arnold, Tom Banning, Mike Barnett, Walt Baum, Rebecca Bernhardt, Andrew Biar, Tom Blanton, Hugh Brady, Steve Bresnen, Chris Britton, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Marc Campos, Thure Cannon, Snapper Carr, Tris Castaneda, Corbin Casteel, William Chapman, Elizabeth Christian, Elna Christopher, Rick Cofer, Lawrence Collins, John Colyandro, Kevin Cooper, Beth Cubriel, Randy Cubriel, Denise Davis, Hector De Leon, June Deadrick, Tom Duffy, Scott Dunaway, Richard Dyer, Jeff Eller, Jack Erskine, John Esparza, Jon Fisher, Rebecca Flores, Robert Floyd, Wil Galloway, Norman Garza, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, John Greytok, Michael Grimes, Jack Gullahorn, Anthony Haley, Bill Hammond, John Heasley, Jim Henson, Ken Hodges, Laura Huffman, Kathy Hutto, Shanna Igo, Deborah Ingersoll, Cal Jillson, Jason Johnson, Bill Jones, Mark Jones, Robert Jones, Lisa Kaufman, Russ Keane, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Ramey Ko, Sandy Kress, Dale Laine, Pete Laney, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Donald Lee, Luke Legate, Myra Leo, Richard Levy, Elizabeth Lippincott, Ruben Longoria, Homero Lucero, Vilma Luna, Matt Mackowiak, Bryan Mayes, Parker McCollough, Debra Medina, Robert Miller, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Craig Murphy, Keir Murray, Keats Norfleet, Pat Nugent, Sylvia Nugent, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Bill Pewitt, Jerry Philips, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Richard Pineda, Allen Place, Royce Poinsett, Kraege Polan, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Ted Melina Raab, Bill Ratliff, Karen Reagan, Tim Reeves, Kim Ross, Jeff Rotkoff, Jason Sabo, Mark Sanders, Andy Sansom, Jim Sartwelle, Stan Schlueter, Bruce Scott, Robert Scott, Steve Scurlock, Bradford Shields, Christopher Shields, Julie Shields, Dee Simpson, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Larry Soward, Dennis Speight, Jason Stanford, Bill Stevens, Bob Strauser, Colin Strother, Charles Stuart, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Sherry Sylvester, Jay Thompson, Russ Tidwell, Gerard Torres, Trent Townsend, Trey Trainor, Ware Wendell, Ken Whalen, Darren Whitehurst, Christopher Williston, Seth Winick, Alex Winslow, Lee Woods, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

The Calendar

Tuesday, Sept. 4:

  • Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting (10 a.m.)

Wednesday, Sept. 5:

  • Joint Committee on Economic Development meeting (10 a.m.)
  • Fundraiser for House candidate Joe Moody; El Paso (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
  • Association of the U.S. Army Texas Capital Area Chapter meeting, with Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples; Camp Mabry, Austin (noon)

Thursday, Sept. 6:

  • Senate Natural Resources Committee meeting (10 a.m.)
 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Attorney General Greg Abbott got spanked — twice — by federal judges in Washington. Once on the Voting Rights case reported above, and earlier in the week on redistricting, when the judges ruled that the maps passed by the Legislature for congressional and legislative races failed to protect minority voters. That won’t delay the elections, probably, since those are being conducted under interim maps approved by a separate set of federal judges. Among other things, the ruling exposed a weakness in the state’s strategy; Abbott went to the courts for preclearance under the Voting Rights Act instead of what he viewed as a hostile Department of Justice. He got the ruling he feared, but he got it more than a year after he asked. One consequence: that famous delay in the primaries.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst told the Texas delegates at the GOP convention that he’ll seek another term. And he said he’ll help others like Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, in the effort to pass a public school voucher bill. Those are the same Texas Republicans who rejected his bid for U.S. Senate in July. He’s got 19 months to change his mind but in the meantime, he’s not a lame duck. Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson says he’ll be in the race, regardless, and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples says he’ll keep his exploratory committee going.

A fight over the rules to assign delegates to presidential candidates spilled over to the floor of the Republican National Convention. Ron Paul supporters protested what they saw as an effort to disenfranchise them and effectively prevent grassroots campaigns from gaining a foothold in future campaigns. States that have their own rules for choosing delegates would be required by the national committee to select those delegates based solely on the statewide vote. The RNC also gave itself the power to change the rules between conventions, which Paul supporters objected to. Texas Republicans were instrumental in leading the fight against the new rules and protested loudly that the original Maine delegation, which was pledged to Paul, be seated.

The tone for Ted Cruz’s speech was markedly different, as the recent winner of the Republican nomination for senator from Texas saw delegates stand and members of the Texas delegation wave their cowboy hats during his 10-minute speech. Cruz’s talking points included an attack on President Obama, who he said was trying to divide America, and an exhortation to the crowd to support the Romney-Ryan ticket.

Democrat Paul Sadler started in on Ted Cruz, needling the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate to agree to more than one debate this fall — Cruz, you’ll remember, did that to Dewhurst all spring, saying the lite guv was running from the public. Sadler also jumped when Cruz was quoted in Politico saying he would support ending campaign finance dollar limits if it went along with immediate disclosure.

Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, is the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Fellow senators mark him among the conservatives, but he took some flak from activists after saying the state ought to think about raising fees to pay for services in agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles. Committee assignments — especially education — will show how Dewhurst is adapting to his latest round of political hard knocks. One question is whether he’ll keep all of the committees now in place, or consolidate some to shrink the overall number.

Fallout from former El Paso Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia’s scheme to inflate his district’s test scores has spread to current employees of the district. Bowie High School Assistant Principal Johnnie Vega has admitted that he manipulated students that he thought might bring down the school’s rating. The school was threatened with closure after six consecutive years of substandard results, and administrators were pressured to inflate test scores and improve attendance rates by kicking out or not allowing students to enroll who they thought would cause problems for Bowie. Garcia has been charged and admitted wrongdoing and the district has been placed on probation by the Texas Education Agency.

An outbreak of West Nile virus has spiked in the last two weeks. The Department of State Health Services reported 723 cases in Texas resulting in 30 deaths. Dallas and Tarrant counties have the highest concentrations of cases and continue to spray for mosquitoes. West Nile virus can either result in a neuroinvasive disease, leading to serious complications, or West Nile fever, a milder version. Over half of the reported cases were the neuroinvasive variety. Commissioner David Lakey held a conference call with reporters and offered his opinion that the epidemic hasn’t reached its peak yet, although he expects it to taper off sooner than cases in other parts of the country.

Political People and their Moves

Former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams was tapped by Gov. Rick Perry to head the Texas Education Agency. Williams replaces former commissioner Robert Scott, who resigned earlier this year. Williams will be the first commissioner without an education background, but Perry also designated a longtime veteran of the agency, Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, as Williams’ second in command.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst named Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, replacing the retiring Steve Ogden, R-Bryan. He also said he'll keep Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, at State Affairs, and Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, at Health and Human Services. That leaves four open slots and more than two dozen anxious senators. The committees: Transportation & Homeland Security, Economic Development, Jurisprudence, and the one everyone is watching: Education. Dewhurst said he'll finish soon.

John Montford will lead a group trying to expand legal gambling in Texas, according to a spokesman for the group. The former SBC executive, Texas Tech University System chancellor, state senator, and local prosecutor will work with LetTexansDecide.com. Montford was the Senate author of the state's lottery law 20 years ago. Backers of the new group include the Sam Houston Race Park, the Valley Race Park, Penn National Gaming, and several small chambers of commerce in the Houston area.

The Texas Medical Association’s PAC endorsed State Rep. and Dr. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth, in the SD-10 race against Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.

Casey Haney is rejoining his old boss, Kyle Janek, at the state’s Health and Human Services Commission. Haney worked for Janek in the Senate and will be deputy chief of staff and senior advisor now that Janek is heading HHSC. Haney had been chief of staff to Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman; Christian Alvarado, who had been Smitherman’s general counsel, moves into the top job there. 

Gov. Rick Perry appointed Ryan Patrick of Houston as judge of the 177th Judicial District Court. Patrick is an assistant Harris County district attorney. 

The governor named Bech Bruun his director of appointments, replacing Teresa Spears, who’s been working with Perry for more than 20 years and is now retiring.  Bruun was most recently with the Brazos River Authority and worked for state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, before that. 

Tony Bennett, long-time public affairs exec at Temple-Inland and the founding chairman of the Texas Association of Manufacturers, will be TAM’s new president. 

The Texas Apartment Association announced that John Sepehri will serve as the group's general counsel. Sepehri has previously served as general counsel for Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade.

Deaths: Former state Rep. Don Lee, D-Harlingen. Lee worked for the Texas Department of Insurance for eight years after losing a re-election bid in 1986. He was 78.

Quotes of the Week

Hope and change had a powerful appeal. But tonight I'd ask a simple question: If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama?

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the National Republican Convention

It wouldn’t be my speech. That would undo everything I’ve done in the last 30 years. I don’t fully endorse him for president.

Ron Paul, quoted in The New York Times about turning down a GOP convention speech because of the strings attached 

The problem is that first impressions can be very persuasive. He failed right at the crucial moment in Iowa and New Hampshire, and it’s very hard to go back and say, ‘I have my underwear on straight this time.’

Democratic consultant Jason Stanford, in the Dallas Morning News on Rick Perry's chances in another presidential run

Chalk up another victory for fraud.

Gov. Rick Perry on a federal court's decision to block the state's voter ID law


I feel terrible. I have nightmares. I don't want to say that it is post-traumatic stress, but in a way it is. I have nightmares about what we did. I have nightmares about the FBI coming to my office and handcuffing me and taking me out and EPISD firing me.

Johnnie Vega, an assistant high school principal, telling the El Paso Times he helped keep students out of school to prevent their bad grades from pulling down class averages