La Union Del Pueblo Entero v. Abbott

29 F.4th 299 (5th Cir. 2022)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

The Texas Legislature passed SB 1 which various provisions of the Texas Election Code pertaining to voter registration, voting by mail, poll watchers, and more. Before it could be signed into law, Ps had filed two lawsuits. More private plaintiffs sued shortly thereafter. The United States later sued, and the district court joined that suit with the five consolidated cases. The lawsuits challenge SB 1's validity under the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws. Ps seek to enjoin enforcement of SB 1 by the following defendants: the State of Texas; Governor Abbott, Texas Secretary of State John Scott, and Attorney General Ken Paxton (together, the 'state officials'); and the Elections Administrators of Bexar, Hidalgo, Dallas, El Paso, and Harris Counties, plus the Travis County Clerk (together, the 'local officials'). The Republican Committees sought to intervene as defendants. The Republican Committees include the local chapters of Harris and Dallas Counties, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The local chapter committees make 'significant contributions and expenditures to support Republican candidates' in Texas's elections, primarily by 'devoting substantial resources towards educating, mobilizing, assisting, training, and turning out voters, volunteers, and poll watchers' in their respective counties. The national chapter committees do much the same on the national level but also provide resources to local Republican-affiliated groups in Texas. The district court denied the Committees' motion to intervene because the Committees failed to satisfy the other three requirements in Rule 24(a)(2). The Committees appealed.