The brief, filed Monday, April 23, 2012 states:
“… after vigorously fighting the production of data containing full Social Security numbers, Texas mistakenly produced to Intervenors data from the VR [voter registration] data base that contained full Social Security numbers.” (Defendant-Intervenors’ Motion for Clarification of the Trial Schedule, 4/23/12, page seven.)
Texas voters escaped public release of their Social Security numbers only because of the vigilance of conscientious lawyers working against the Voter Photo ID bill. Rather than attach the files to documents circulated to other attorneys or expose them to access by the general public, opposing counsel immediately notified the AG’s office of the bungled release of private data. Abbott then, at the expense of Texas taxpayers, sent a courier to both New York and Washington, DC to retrieve the files. As the brief details:
“Intervenors immediately notified the State and, at the State’s request, Intervenors ceased all review of the VR data that had been provided, with the State sending a representative from Texas to collect the VR data disks personally.” (Defendant-Intervenors’ Motion for Clarification of the Trial Schedule, 4/23/12, page seven.)
Abbott’s negligence constitutes one of the largest risks of public identity theft in recent memory. Last year, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs received bitter criticism for releasing the Social Security numbers of 3.5 million Texans. In this most recent case, had the files not been handled carefully and responsibly by legal counsel opposing Abbott, as many as 6 million Texas voters’ Social Security numbers could have been exposed to potential illegal misuse and identity theft.
Background
For years, Greg Abbott has taken the lead among Texas Republicans in efforts to use discriminatory legislation and State law enforcement to harassment minority voters and suppress voter participation by minority citizens. The Lone Star Project has detailed Abbott’s past vote suppression, and the LSP reports can be viewed here, here, here, and here. Currently a bitter legal battle is underway in Washington, DC over the controversial Voter Photo ID law passed by Texas Republican leaders last year. The US Department of Justice has determined that the Texas Voter Photo ID law intentionally discriminates against minority voters in violation of the US Voting Rights Act. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is attempting to by-pass DOJ by gaining approval of the law by a three-judge Federal Court in Washington, DC.
