Soros Backs Democratic 'Super Lawyer' in Voter ID Cases

A Democratic "super lawyer" has $5 million in backing from liberal mega-donor George Soros for a controversially partisan effort to challenge state elections laws, the Washington Post reports.

Marc Elias, who's gone to bat for Democrats in recount fights and redistricting battles, is challenging laws that he argues diminish the impact of important Democratic Party constituencies of African Americans, Latinos and young people — including states especially important for Hillary Clinton's campaign, like Ohio, Arizona, and Virginia, the Post reports.

The Post notes voting rights changes passed by GOP legislatures in 15 states — including Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota and Kansas, where the changes have been challenged — put new and stricter laws in place seeking to combat voter fraud.

But in the past month, judges appointed by both Democrats and Republicans have ruled there's evidence the laws hinder minority participation in the process, the Post reports.

The legal battles are led by civil rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Advancement Project, and others.

But Elias's efforts that are explicitly on behalf of Democrats worries those groups, which aim for bipartisan support for voting rights, including strengthening the Voting Rights Act, the Post reports.

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