The U.S. Supreme Court declines to review two legal challenges to Texas restrictions on paid voter assistance, according to multiple reports. The court’s decision leaves in place an appeals court ruling that upheld the state’s ban. The challenged Texas provisions prohibit certain forms of paid assistance to voters and were contested by civil rights and voting rights groups.
Those groups argue that the restrictions undermine protections under a section of the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). Opponents of the restrictions, including Texas officials in the underlying litigation, defend the state’s limits as permissible under federal law.
By refusing to take up the case, the Supreme Court does not rule on the merits of the arguments presented by both sides. As a result, the existing lower-court decision continues to govern, and the Texas restrictions remain in effect while any further legal avenues are pursued.
