Latest news with #5thCircuit
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump touts ruling upholding ID number check for Texas mail-in ballots
President Trump early Tuesday touted an appeals court ruling upholding Texas's requirement that voters to provide a driver's license or other identification number for their mail ballot to be counted. 'THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!! Should be Nationwide!!! President DJT' Trump wrote on Truth Social. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit unanimously ruled on Monday the requirement does not violate a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents states from denying a person's right to vote over paperwork errors that are not 'material.' 'The number-matching requirements are obviously designed to confirm that every mail-in voter is indeed who he claims he is. And that is plainly material to determining whether an individual is qualified to vote,' wrote U.S. Circuit Judge James Ho, rejecting the argument. Ho was joined on the panel by U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett, both Trump appointees, and U.S. Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham, an appointee of former President Reagan. In Texas, voters can vote by mail if they meet certain criteria, like being disabled or age 65 or older. The state's Republican-controlled Legislature passed the new check in 2021 as part of a broader election integrity bill, S.B. 1. It requires voters to provide a state identification number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their mail-in ballot application and ballot envelope. Clerks reject ballots that don't comply. The Biden administration and several civil rights groups filed lawsuits soon after the law's enactment. Texas and the Republican National Committee (RNC) appealed to the 5th Circuit after U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez Jr. blocked Texas from enforcing the requirement. An appointee of former President George W. Bush, Rodriguez ruled that the number-matching requirement violates the Civil Rights Act because it is not material to a voter's eligibility. The 5th Circuit's decision reverses that finding, ruling that the materiality provision only covers voter eligibility determinations and not mail-in ballots. 'The 2021 Act easily complies with the materiality provision in any event,' Ho wrote. In a statement, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called the ruling a 'clear victory for secure elections.' 'Texas's commonsense safeguards for mail-in ballots are essential to protecting the integrity of every single ballot cast,' Whatley said. 'As long as Democrats and the left are fighting to overthrow the will of the American people who support these safeguards, the RNC will be there to meet them in court.' Updated 11:03 a.m. EDT. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump touts ruling upholding ID number check for Texas mail-in ballots
President Trump early Tuesday touted an appeals court ruling upholding Texas's requirement that voters to provide a driver's license or other identification number for their mail ballot to be counted. 'THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!! Should be Nationwide!!! President DJT' Trump wrote on Truth Social. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit unanimously ruled on Monday the requirement does not violate a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents states from denying a person's right to vote over paperwork errors that are not 'material.' 'The number-matching requirements are obviously designed to confirm that every mail-in voter is indeed who he claims he is. And that is plainly material to determining whether an individual is qualified to vote,' wrote U.S. Circuit Judge James Ho, rejecting the argument. Ho was joined on the panel by U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett, both Trump appointees, and U.S. Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham, an appointee of former President Reagan. In Texas, voters can vote by mail if they meet certain criteria, like being disabled or age 65 or older. The state's Republican-controlled legislature passed the new check in 2021 as part of a broader election integrity bill, S.B. 1. It requires voters to provide a state identification number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their mail-in ballot application and ballot envelope. Clerks reject ballots that don't comply. The Biden administration and several civil rights groups filed lawsuits soon after the law's enactment. Texas and the Republican National Committee appealed to the 5th Circuit after U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez Jr. blocked Texas from enforcing the requirement. An appointee of the second former President Bush, Rodriguez ruled that the number-matching requirement violates the Civil Rights Act because it is not material to a voter's eligibility. The 5th Circuit's decision reverses that finding, ruling that the materiality provision only covers voter eligibility determinations and not mail-in ballots. 'The 2021 Act easily complies with the materiality provision in any event,' Ho wrote.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Appeals court upholds Texas law requiring ID numbers to cast mail-in ballots
'The number-matching requirements are obviously designed to confirm that every mail-in voter is who he claims he is,' Ho wrote for the panel. 'And that is plainly material to determining whether an individual is qualified to vote.' The judges said that merely requiring applications to list the voter's name and address was insufficient to address security concerns. 'That information is easily available to anyone who simply requests it,' wrote Ho, a Trump appointee. 'As a result, any person can request and receive that information about a registered voter, use that information to apply for a mail-in ballot, and then cast the ballot, with minimal risk of detection.' The ruling is the latest from the conservative 5th Circuit to allow tightening voter eligibility and balloting requirements. Another panel of that court recently ruled that mail-in ballots must arrive by Election Day to be counted. The decision also lands amid an intensifying showdown over an effort by Texas GOP leaders to redraw the state's congressional boundaries to produce five more Republican-held seats. The urgent push — and Democratic lawmakers' decision to flee the state to derail the effort — has gripped Washington amid a broader struggle for an advantage in the 2026 midterms. Ho was joined in his ruling by Judge Don Willett, another Trump appointee, and Judge Patrick Higginbotham, a Reagan appointee. Civil rights groups and the Biden administration sued to block enforcement of aspects of the election-integrity measure, arguing that the bill had the potential to disqualify large numbers of ballots that were cast by legitimate voters but might contain minor errors. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez Jr., a San Antonio-based George W. Bush appointee, ruled in 2023 that the presence of an accurate ID number was not material to whether a voter was entitled to vote.
Fast Company
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Court greenlights Mississippi's social media age verification law
A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users' rights to privacy and free expression. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by 'sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.' Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah, represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the group is 'very disappointed' in the decision to let Mississippi's law go into effect and is 'considering all available options.' 'NetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious infringement on access to fully protected speech online,' Taske said. 'Parents — not the government — should determine what is right for their families.'
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Court rules Mississippi's social media age verification law can go into effect
A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users' rights to privacy and free expression. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled a decision by a federal district judge to block the 2024 law from going into effect. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a court filing defending the law that steps such as age verification for digital sites could mitigate harm caused by 'sex trafficking, sexual abuse, child pornography, targeted harassment, sextortion, incitement to suicide and self-harm, and other harmful and often illegal conduct against children.' Attorneys for NetChoice, which brought the lawsuit, have pledged to continue their court challenge, arguing the law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. The industry group, which has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah, represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In a written statement, Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said the group is 'very disappointed' in the decision to let Mississippi's law go into effect and is 'considering all available options.' 'NetChoice will continue to fight against this egregious infringement on access to fully protected speech online," Taske said. "Parents — not the government — should determine what is right for their families.' ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Kate Payne, The Associated Press Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
