Case: U.S. v. Texas

This is a case about a Texas policy that provided  that, in order to vote in Texas, a person must pay the State's poll tax. In 1966, the Attorney General, on behalf of the United States, filed this lawsuit against the State of Texas; the Presiding Judge for Precinct Number 239 of Travis County, Texas; the Associate Judge for Precinct Number 239 of Travis County, Texas; the mayor of Austin, Texas; the Travis County Democratic Executive Committee; the Travis County Republican Executive Committee; and the County Tax Assessor-Collector for Travis County, Texas in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The U.S. Attorney General alleged that Texas’ poll taxes violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because they were arbitrary and unreasonable, denying the equal protection of the laws to persons who had not paid their poll taxes.

The State of Texas did not have a separate system for the registration of voters. When a person paid their poll taxes, they would also show they satisfied the conditions of age, citizenship, and residence. This information would be recorded and then used in compiling the lists of qualified voters in the state. These poll taxes were provided for under Article VII, Section 1 and Article VI, Sections 2 and 3 of the Texas Constitution, Article 13.21 and Article 5.09 of the Texas Election Code, and Article 2.01 of the Texas General Taxation Code. 

Plaintiff alleged that the poll taxes worked to disenfranchise poor people and African Americans, violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and denying them equal protection under the law and due process. They demonstrated this by  showing the relationship between educational level and income potential and statistics of the inferior educational and vocational training formerly provided to African Americans. Plaintiff argued that these taxes should therefore be declared invalid, and sought both preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the State of Texas from further implementing and enforcing these poll taxes.

The United States invoked the jurisdiction of a three-judge District Court under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The case was assigned to Circuit Judges John Robert Brown and Homer Thornberry and District Judge Adrian Anthony Spears.

The case was decided on February 9, 1966, with the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas ruling in favor of the Plaintiff. The relevant Texas laws were declared unconstitutional and invalid insofar as they require the payment of a poll tax as a prerequisite to voting. The Court granted a permanent injunction against the State of Texas and its officials, preventing them from enforcing the unconstitutional and invalid laws. However, the injunction was stayed for a period of 14 days to provide the State of Texas with time to appeal.

The State of Texas appealed the ruling to the United States Supreme Court in 1966, with the United States moving to affirm the ruling. Texas v. United States, 384 U.S. 155. On May 2,1966, the Supreme Court granted the United States' motion and affirmed the judgement.

This case is closed.