Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
La Union del Pueblo Entero v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 24-50826 · judgment August 29, 2025
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act provides that “[a]ny voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union.” 52 U.S.C. § 10508. In 2021, Texas amended its election code to establish a felony for anyone who “compensates or offers to compensate another person for assisting voters” to vote by mail or who “solicits, receives, or accepts compensation for” assisting voters to vote by mail. Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 86.0105. Texas law now renders criminal what federal law expressly protects. Under Texas’s new law, a voter who is blind, disabled, or cannot read or write commits a felony if she offers money to a friend or neighbor in exchange for help filling out her mail ballot. Blind, disabled, and low literacy voters who are members of La Unión del Pueblo Entero (“LUPE”), a non-profit social services organization, can no longer choose to receive assistance completing their mail ballots from LUPE employees whom they know and trust and who are compensated for delivering assistance. This petition presents the following question: Whether Section 208 preempts a state law that prohibits eligible voters from compensating their chosen assisters or from choosing trusted assisters who are compensated.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Nina Perales
MALDEF
For respondent
William Francis Cole
Office of the Attorney General of Texas
Proceedings
- Jun 29 2026Petition DENIED.
- Jun 23 2026Reply of petitioner La Unión del Pueblo Entero filed. (Distributed)
- Jun 09 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/25/2026.
- May 20 2026Brief of respondents Warren Paxton, et al. in opposition filed. VIDED.
- May 20 2026Brief of respondents Harris County Republican Party, et al. in opposition filed.
- May 19 2026Response to petition from respondent Sean Teare, Harris County District Attorney filed.
- Mar 26 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 20, 2026, for all respondents.
- Mar 25 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 20, 2026 to May 20, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Mar 19 2026Response Requested. (Due April 20, 2026)
- Mar 11 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/27/2026.
- Mar 03 2026Waiver of right of respondents Harris County Republican Party, Dallas County Republican Party, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican National Committee to respond filed.
- Feb 27 2026Waiver of right of respondent Respondent Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare to respond filed.
- Feb 11 2026Waiver of right of respondents Warren Paxton, et al. to respond filed.
- Jan 24 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 4, 2026)
- Dec 09 2025Application (25A556) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until January 26, 2026.
- Dec 03 2025Application (25A556) to extend further the time from December 27, 2025 to January 26, 2026, submitted to Justice Alito.
- Nov 14 2025Application (25A556) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until December 27, 2025.
- Nov 10 2025Application (25A556) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from November 27, 2025 to January 26, 2026, submitted to Justice Alito.