The Justice Department actually argued to the federal court that South Carolina was NOT the prevailing party in the Voting Rights Act lawsuit to approve Voter ID. Remember, career staff at the Voting Section recommended that the South Carolina voter ID law be precleared. But radicals in the front office, including Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez, demanded that the law be objected to, and that decision forced South Carolina to go to court. Now the federal court has ruled clearly that South Carolina was the “prevailing party” and the Justice Department will be liable for the state’s costs. From the State paper:
“The state Attorney General’s Office blamed the U.S. Department of Justice for the high cost of the case. They accused the federal government of delaying the case by 120 days by filing numerous frivolous motions, including challenging the 12-point font size on a document the state filed.
“The Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., bears responsibility for the litigation costs,” said Mark Powell, Wilson’s spokesman. “The decision was so emphatic, even the Department of Justice and Interveners did not appeal it. South Carolina was forced to pay a hefty price because a handful of Washington insiders refused to do the right thing.”
The handful of “Washington insiders” quick to play with other people’s money are Tom Perez and Matthew Colangelo. The bad decision to reject the career advice was theirs. The taxpayers deserve answers, and the pair deserve consequences.