Overview
- Judge Edith H. Jones wrote the 26-page opinion reversing a district court ruling that had blocked enforcement of the statute.
- The law makes it a crime to accept compensation for in-person interactions conducted in the physical presence of an official ballot to influence votes for a candidate or measure.
- The panel rejected vagueness and First Amendment challenges, finding key terms understandable and the restriction narrowly tailored to prevent intimidation and fraud.
- The court ruled the Texas attorney general and secretary of state are not proper defendants under sovereign-immunity principles, though local district attorneys remain parties.
- Voting-rights plaintiffs can seek rehearing or petition the U.S. Supreme Court, as Texas officials and the RNC publicly celebrated the decision.