Justice Department sues Texas over restrictive voting law

The Justice Department is suing Texas over key components of the state's Republican-led voting law that federal officials say are in violation of U.S. protections for civil rights and voting access.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that Senate Bill 1, known as SB 1, violates part of the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act by imposing restrictions at polling locations and through absentee ballots.

"In this action, the United States challenges provisions of SB 1 that deny eligible voters meaningful assistant in the voting booth and require rejection of mail ballot materials for immaterial errors or omissions," the Justice Department said in the lawsuit.