Feds OK Georgia law requiring photo ID to vote: sparked racial tension ... Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked

Feds OK Georgia law requiring photo ID to vote: "August 28, 2005 | BY JEFFREY MCMURRAY

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Friday approved a controversial Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, and opponents immediately vowed to challenge the measure in federal court.

The decision, written by John Tanner, chief of the department's voting section, says that while Attorney General Alberto Gonzales doesn't object to the law, approval doesn't preclude lawsuits against it.

''It's not over yet. We will pursue litigation in federal court,'' said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, chairman of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, which had filed an objection to the law with the Justice Department.

The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension in the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out of the state Capitol when it was approved."