Closing arguments set for voter ID trial

[July 13, 2012]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Closing arguments are set to begin a trial that will determine the fate of Texas' controversial voter ID law.

Lawyers for Texas, the Justice Department and intervening groups supporting the Justice Department's position will make their final cases in a federal court in Washington on Friday morning.

A three-judge panel is set to determine whether the 2011 Texas law violates the federal Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965 to protect minorities' right to vote.

The Justice Department blocked Texas' law in March, citing the Act. The Justice Department, in turn, filed a lawsuit, bringing the case to a courtroom in Washington. The judges have heard four days of testimony from witnesses, including experts on statistics and elections and state lawmakers.

[Associated Press; By HENRY C. JACKSON]

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