| Houston, TX (February 17, 2022) — Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the preliminary injunction entered by the District Court in Longoria v. Paxton, the lawsuit filed by the Harris County Elections Administrator challenging SB1, Texas’s voting restrictions law. The Office of Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and Weil, Gotshal & Manges represent Administrator Longoria in the case. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee issued the following statement: “I am disappointed that the Fifth Circuit has undone the preliminary injunction that protected Administrator Longoria’s First Amendment rights. As the district court already determined, this law is unconstitutional and prevents election officials from encouraging people to vote by mail, including our seniors, our neighbors with disabilities, and our active-duty service members. One thing that’s clear from the high number of mail-in ballot applications being rejected is that our election officials should be empowered to explain the process and encourage folks to apply to vote by mail if eligible. Today's decision allows the threat of criminal prosecution to loom over election officials trying to help voters.” |