A major election year in Texas has overshadowed an upcoming trial on the fate of the state's tough new voter ID law.
A trial begins Tuesday in Corpus Christi over one of the most stringent voter ID measures in the nation. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will decide whether the Texas law is a legal safeguard or a discriminatory mandate that suppresses minority turnout.
Her ruling is unlikely to come before Election Day. That means 13.6 million registered voters will still be required to show a photo ID.
The Justice Department has taken an aggressive role in trying to dismantle Texas' law after a key part of the federal Voting Rights Act was struck down last summer.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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