Voter ID law revisited:

Whether a strict Texas voter ID law should be struck down, upheld, or, perhaps, adjusted is now up to 15 federal appeals court judges.

The full 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday about the law, which requires voters to present one of seven specific forms of photo ID to cast a ballot.

The state and other supporters of the law say it prevents fraud. Opponents, including the US Justice Department and civil rights groups, say in-person voter fraud is extremely rare and that Texas’ law discriminates by requiring forms of ID that are more difficult to obtain for low-income, African-American and Latino voters.

It was unclear when the full court would rule. Last year, a three-judge panel of the court upheld a district judge’s finding that the law was illegally discriminatory in its effect. But a majority of the full court decided to re-hear the case.

The three-judge panel’s ruling wasn’t a full victory for the law’s opponents. It rejected parts of the district judge’s ruling, finding, for instance, that the law didn’t amount to an illegal “poll tax.” And the panel told the lower court to re-examine the question of whether the bill was passed to purposely discriminate against minority and low-income voters.

Such questions were back on the table at Tuesday’s hearing, with Janai Nelson, of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, saying the law was passed during a legislative session rife with race-tinged debate on illegal immigration and that it resulted in a bill that requires IDs that black and Latino voters are less likely to have. (AP)