Abbott drops opposition to depositions in voter ID case

[struggle4progress]

By Tim Eaton\
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 7:55 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2012

In an effort to move to trial more quickly, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has quietly dropped his opposition to the Department of Justice's request to take depositions from state lawmakers in the voter identification case.

In March, Abbott asked a federal court in Washington to shield 12 state lawmakers from giving depositions in the state's voter identification case against the Justice Department. Citing legislative privilege, Abbott's office said that the department's requests to depose lawmakers and subpoena records amounted to "an unwarranted federal intrusion into the operations of the Texas Legislature."

But now, Abbott has decided to stop trying to prevent the depositions, said Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Abbott ...

The Justice Department has asked for depositions from the author of the voter ID measure, Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay; its House sponsor, Rep. Patricia Harless, R-Spring; various legislative staffers; and other lawmakers ...

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/abbott-drops-opposition-to-depositions-in-voter-id-2370530.html

[Gothmog]

1. This is good news but I am still wondering how they will make July 9 trial date

Instead of objecting to all of the depositions, now Abbott will argue in each depo as to matters that are covered by the legislative privilege. This procedure is going to take time in that if the Court overrules Abbott's claim of privilege then the deposition will have to be retaken or resumed to cover the material that Abbott wants to hide from the Court. It is Abbott and the State of Texas who want to have the trial by July 9 but at the same time Abbott is going to make it difficult to get the discovery completed in time to make such trial setting.