Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 No. 14-41127 In The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit MARC VEASEY; JANE HAMILTON; SERGIO DELEON; FLOYD CARRIER; ANNA BURNS; MICHAEL MONTEZ; PENNY POPE; OSCAR ORTIZ; KOBY OZIAS; LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS; JOHN MELLOR-CRUMLEY, Plaintiffs-Appellees TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC COUNTY JUDGES AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Intervenor Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. GREG ABBOTT, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS; TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE; STATE OF TEXAS; STEVE MCCRAW, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Defendants-Appellants. __________________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee TEXAS LEAGUE OF YOUNG VOTERS EDUCATION FUND; IMANI CLARK, Intervenor Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. STATE OF TEXAS; TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE; STATE OF TEXAS; STEVE MCCRAW, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Defendants-Appellants. __________________________ TEXAS STATE CONFERENCE OF NAACP BRANCHES; MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS, TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE; STEVE MCCRAW, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Defendants-Appellants. __________________________ TEXAS STATE CONFERENCE OF NAACP BRANCHES; MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS, TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE; STEVE MCCRAW, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Defendants-Appellants. __________________________ Additional Parties Continued on Next Page Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 LENARD TAYLOR; EULALIO MENDEZ, JR., LIOSNEL ESTRADA; ESTELA GARCIA ESPINOZA; MARGARITO MARTINEZ LARA; MAXIMINA MARTINEZ LARA; LA UNION DEL PUEBLO ENTERO, INCORPORATED, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. STATE OF TEXAS; TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE; STEVE MCCRAW, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, Defendants-Appellants. On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District Of Texas, Corpus Christi Division, Nos. 2:13-cv-193, 2:13-cv-263, 2:13-cv-291, and 2:13-cv-348 TEXAS STATE CONFERENCE OF NAACP BRANCHES, THE MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS OF THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE TAYLOR APPELLEES BRIEF ON THE MERITS ROBERT A. KENGLE WENDY WEISER MARK A. POSNER MYRNA PÉREZ EZRA D. ROSENBERG VISHAL AGRAHARKAR ALEJANDRO REYES JENNIFER CLARK LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE AT UNDER LAW NYU LAW SCHOOL 1401 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 400 161 Avenue of the Americas, Washington, D.C. 20005 Floor 12 (202) 662-8600 New York, New York 10013-1205 [email protected] AMY L. RUDD SIDNEY S. ROSDEITCHER LINDSEY B. COHAN PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & DECHERT LLP GARRISON, LLP 500 W. 6th Street, Suite 2010 1285 Avenue of the Americas Austin, Texas 78701 New York, New York 10019 JOSE GARZA DANIEL GAVIN COVICH LAW OFFICE OF JOSE GARZA COVICH LAW FIRM LLC 7414 Robin Rest Drive Frost Bank Plaza San Antonio, Texas 78209 802 N Carancahua, Ste 2100 [email protected] Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Additional Counsel Continued on Next Page Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 3 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 GARY BLEDSOE ROBERT W. DOGGETT POTTERBLEDSOE, L.L.P. TEXAS RIOGRANDE LEGAL AID 316 W. 12th Street, Suite 307 4920 N. IH-35 Austin, Texas 78701 Austin, Texas 78751 ROBERT NOTZON MARINDA VAN DALEN THE LAW OFFICE OF ROBERT NOTZON TEXAS RIOGRANDE LEGAL AID 1502 West Avenue 531 East St. Francis Street Austin, Texas 78701 Brownsville, Texas 78529 MARSHALL TAYLOR JOSE GARZA NAACP TEXAS RIOGRANDE LEGAL AID 4805 Mt. Hope Drive 111 N. Main Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21215 San Antonio, Texas 78212 Counsel for the Texas State Conference of Counsel for Lenard Taylor, Eulalio NAACP Branches and The Mexican Mendez Jr., Lionel Estrada, Estela American Legislative Caucus of the Garcia Espinoza, Margarito Martinez Texas House of Representatives Lara, Maximina Martinez Lara, and La Union Del Pueblo Entero, Inc.* * The Taylor Appellees join the Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches and The Mexican American Legislative Caucus of The Texas House of Representatives in this brief pursuant to Rule 28(i) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Additional Counsel Continued on Next Page Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 4 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 No. 14-41127 In The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Marc Veasey, et al. v. Greg Abbott, et al. CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS The undersigned counsel of record certifies that the following listed persons and entities as described in the fourth sentence of Rule 28.2.1 have an interest in the outcome of this case. These representations are made in order that the judges of this court may evaluate possible disqualification or recusal. Plaintiffs-Appellees Former or Present Counsel Marc Veasey Neil G. Baron Jane Hamilton Brazil & Dunn Sergio DeLeon Joshua James Bone Floyd Carrier Kembel Scott Brazil Anna Burns Campaign Legal Center Michael Montez Armand Derfner Penny Pope Chad W. Dunn Oscar Ortiz J. Gerald Hebert Koby Ozias Luis Roberto Vera, Jr. John Mellor-Crumley Dallas County, Texas League of United Latin American Citizens Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 5 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 United States of America Anna Baldwin Meredith Bell-Platts Robert S. Berman Richard Dellheim Daniel J. Freeman Bruce I. Gear Bradley E. Heard Jennifer L. Maranzano Avner Michael Shapiro John Alert Smith, III U.S. Department of Justice Elizabeth S. Westfall Diana Flynn Erin Flynn Christine Monta Mexican American Vishal Agraharkar Legislative Jennifer Clark Caucus Brennan Center for Justice Texas House of Lindsey Beth Cohan Representatives Covich Law Firm LLC Texas State Conference of Dechert LLP NAACP Branches Jose Garza Estela Garcia Espinosa Daniel Gavin Covich Lionel Estrada Robert W. Doggett La Union Del Pueblo Entero, Law Office of Jose Garza Inc. Lawyers’ Committee of Civil Margarito Martinez Lara Rights Under Law Maximina Martinez Lara Kathryn Trenholm Newell Eulalio Mendez, Jr. Priscilla Noriega Sgt. Lenard Taylor Myrna Perez Mark A. Posner Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP Alejandro Reyes Sidney S. Rosdeitcher Ezra D. Rosenberg ii Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 6 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 Amy Lynne Rudd Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Inc. Marinda Van Dalen Wendy Weiser Michelle Yeary Erandi Zamora Texas League of Young Leah Aden Voters Daniel Aguilar Education Fund Danielle Conley Imani Clark Kelly Dunbar Texas Association of Lynn Eisenberg Hispanic Tania C. Faransso County Judges and County Ryan Haygood Commissioners Sonya Lebsack Hidalgo County Natasha Korgaonkar NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Jonathan E. Paikin Preston Edward Henrichson Rolando L. Rios Matthew N. Robinson Deuel Ross Richard F. Shordt Gerard J. Sinzdak Christina A. Swarns WilmerHale iii Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 7 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 Defendants-Appellants Former or Present Counsel Greg Abbott, in his official Adam W. Aston capacity as Governor of J. Campbell Barker Texas James D. Blacklock Texas Secretary of State J. Reed Clay, Jr. State of Texas Arthur C. D’Andrea Steve McGraw, in his official Ben Addison Donnell capacity as Director of the Matthew H. Frederick Texas Department of Public Stephen Ronald Keister Safety Scott A. Keller Donnell Abernethy Kieschnick Jennifer Marie Roscetti Jonathan F. Mitchell Office of the Attorney General Stephen Lyle Tatum, Jr. John B. Scott G. David Whitley Lindsey Elizabeth Wolf Third-Party Defendants Former or Present Counsel Third party legislators Arthur C. D’Andrea Texas Health and Human Office of the Attorney Services Commission General John B. Scott iv Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 8 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 Third-Party Movants Former or Present Counsel Bipartisan Legal Advisory Bishop London & Dodds Group of the United States James B. Eccles House of Representatives Kerry W. Kircher Kirk P. Watson Alice London Rodney Ellis Office of the Attorney Juan Hinojosa General Jose Rodriguez Office of the General Counsel Carlos Uresti U.S. House of Royce West Representatives John Whitmire Judith Zaffirini Lon Burnam Yvonne Davis Jessica Farrar Helen Giddings Roland Gutierrez Borris Miles Sergio Munoz, Jr. Ron Reynolds Chris Turner Armando Walle Interested Third Parties Appearing Pro Se Robert M. Allensworth Robert M. Allensworth, pro C. Richard Quade se C. Richard Quade, pro se /s/ Lindsey B. Cohan Lindsey B. Cohan Counsel for Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches & MALC v Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 9 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT The Court’s order of December 10, 2014, provides for this case to be placed on the first available oral-argument calendar. Appellees agree that this case warrants oral argument. vi Case: 14-41127 Document: 00512956195 Page: 10 Date Filed: 03/03/2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT ........................................................... 5 ISSUES PRESENTED .............................................................................. 5 STATEMENT OF THE CASE