Justice Department To Sue Texas Over Voter ID Law

The Justice Department says it will sue Texas over the state's voter ID law and will seek to intervene in a lawsuit over the state's redistricting laws.

Attorney General Eric Holder says the action marks another step in the effort to protect voting rights of all eligible Americans. He said the government will not allow the Supreme Court's recent decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights.

On June 25, the Supreme Court threw out the most powerful part of the Voting Rights Act, whose enactment in 1965 marked a major turning point in black Americans' struggle for equal rights and political power.