Texas voter ID law “will take effect immediately,” says Attorney General Greg Abbott  —  update: The Texas DPS will start issuing voter IDs on Thursday.  More below  —  WASHINGTON — The implications of today's landmark ruling could be swift and stunning.

On Voting Rights, A Decision As Lamentable as Plessy or Dred Scott  —  Splitting 5-4 along ideological lines, today the Supreme Court ruled a key provision of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.  —  Let's be clear about what has just happened.  Five unelected, life-tenured men …

Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, freeing nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval.

Justice Ginsburg Slams Supreme Court's ‘Hubris’ In Fiery Dissent On Voting Rights Act  —  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg penned the fierce dissent against the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision Tuesday to invalidate a key section of the Voting Rights Act, accusing the conservative justices of displaying “hubris” and a lack of sound reasoning.

That Was Quick: Texas Moves Forward With Voter ID Law After Supreme Court Ruling  —  Just hours after the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that guts parts of the Voting Rights Act, Texas is moving forward with a controversial voter ID law that state Attorney General Greg Abbott hopes to implement right away.

Goodbye to the Crown Jewel of the Civil Rights Movement  —  People died to pass Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, but that didn't save it at the Supreme Court.  —  The Supreme Court struck down the crown jewel of the Civil Rights movement today.  Section 5 was the most powerful tool in the movement's arsenal.

RECENT MASSACHUSETTS SENATE ELECTIONS  —  Massachusetts has had five US Senate elections in the last seven years, more than any other state.  —  Year Results  —  Democrat Elizabeth Warren polled strongly in heavily Democratic greater Boston, and in cities statewide, to defeat incumbent Republican Scott Brown 54 to 46 percent.

Weiner Leads Democrats in Race for NYC Mayor: Poll … Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner leads City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in the race for New York City's Democratic mayoral nomination for the first time, snatching the frontrunner mantle as the contest heads into the final months before the primary …