Houston Area Urban League v. Abbott
State: Texas
Filed: 2021
Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
Plaintiffs: The Arc Texas, Houston Justice, Houston Area Urban League, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Jeffrey Lamar Clemons
Defendant: Governor Gregory Abbott and various state officials
Counsel: The Arc, NAACP LDF, Reed Smith LLP
Overview: For the past 150 years, the State of Texas has had a long track record of excluding and discouraging Black and Latino residents of the State from exercising their fundamental right to vote. Voters with disabilities, including Black and Latino voters with disabilities, have also persistently experienced barriers in accessing their right to vote in Texas. The State’s policies of exclusion and restrictive voting laws have resulted in chronically low voter turnout. In passing S.B. 1, instead of making the election process safer or more secure, the law eliminates methods and opportunities of voting disproportionately used by Black and Latino voters, burdening or effectively disenfranchising these voters by raising the time, cost, and risk associated with exercising their constitutional right to vote. The law also erects barriers to voting that will disproportionately and unlawfully deny equal access to individuals with disabilities.
Case Documents
Opposition to Motion to Dismiss
Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment on ADA and 504 Claims
Press Releases
Lawsuit Filed Challenging New Texas Law Targeting Voting Rights
Fighting for an Inclusive Democracy
Landmark Trial Challenging Regressive Voting Rights Provisions in Texas Senate Bill 1 Concludes
Related Media
AP News: Texas flagged 27,000 mail ballots for rejection in primary
CNN: How new voting restrictions threaten ballot access for disabled voters
Courthouse News Service: Voters with disabilities face new barriers over Texas voting law
Democracy Docket: Texas Omnibus Voter Suppression Law S.B. 1 Will Be Put to the Test at Federal Trial
KAH Consulting Group: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Rallies Against Texas Senate Bill 1 in San Antonio
Law360 Pulse: Texas DA Ordered To Face Voter Discrimination Suits
Law360: How Lawyers Are Mobilizing To Protect The Vote
NewsOne: NAACP Legal Defense Fund Leads Challenge Against New Texas Voter Suppression Law
New York Times: New Voting Laws Add Difficulties for People With Disabilities
New York Times: ‘My Vote Was Rejected’: Trial Underway in Texas Over New Voting Law
Pew: Voters with Disabilities Face New Ballot Restrictions Ahead of Midterms
Politico: Why Election Laws in Georgia and Texas Remain a Threat
The Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks
The Texas Tribune: What’s at Stake in the Long-Awaited Trial Over Texas’s Sweeping 2021 Elections Law
USA Today: New election laws could create barriers for voters with disabilities
Vox: Democrats’ fears about restricting mail-in voting were confirmed in Texas