Topic category:  Breaking News!

If the Obama Administration figured that indefinitely delaying the approval of the tax exempt status application of True the Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots organization focused on preserving election integrity and operated by citizens for citizens, to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process and to empower organizations and individuals across the nation to actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation, would stop True the Vote, it figured wrong.

If the Obama Administration figured that siccing the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms and the Occupational Health & Safety Administration on True the Vote and its intrepid founder and president, Catherine Engelbrecht would be enough, it figured wrong. See "Why did the Obama administration target Catherine Engelbrecht personally?" (www.renewamerica.com/columns/gaynor/130603).

True the Vote responded by suing in federal court for tax exempt status and the Obama Administration must be dreading discovery in that case as much as it dreads all the facts coming out on Beghazigate and the IRS mistreatment of tax exemption applications by "conservative" organizations.

United State Attorney General Eric Holder, who curiously commenced his Attorney Generalship by describing America as a nation of cowards, apparently thought Engelbrecht was a coward.

Fortunately for America, she isn't. She refuses to be cowed, even by a slew of federal agencies harassing her and her family.

Cowed: Cause (someone) to submit to one's wishes by intimidation.

After the United States Supreme Court put an end to preclearance under the Voting Rights act (and Texas's resulting second class state status), Texas enacted voter identification and citizenship verification law backed by True the Vote.

Although the United States Supreme Court ruled long ago, in an Indiana case, that photo identification is a constitutionally permissible voting requirement, photo identification is as anathema to the Obama Administration as graciousness in defeat.

In a televised address at a National Urban League Conference, Holder announced that the Justice Department would ask a federal court in Texas to require approval of the Justice Department or a federal judge before making any changes to its voting rights laws. See www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20130726_Holder__in_Philadelphia__announces_new _voting_rights_offensive.html#hVfBEG5Ac0MFxt7h.99.

Congressman Lamar Smith (R., Texas) promptly decried Holder's announcement: "The Supreme Court message to the Justice Department was clear - don't mess with Texas. But Eric Holder and the Justice Department aren't listening. They have decided to continue their vendetta against Texas by asking a federal judge to reinstate the preclearance requirement."

In a True the Vote press release issued on July 25, 2013, Engelbrecht declared: "We will not sit idly by and allow the most politically charged Department of Justice in US history to set aside the US constitution and attempt to bully the people of Texas. We will meet Attorney General Holder in court and we will do whatever we need to do to advance the cause of voters' rights for all Americans."

Engelbrecht continued: "General Holder's announcement today demonstrates just how radical the DOJ has become. The same department that criminalizes journalism and fails to prosecute IRS agents who violate the rights of American taxpayers is promising to sue states with taxpayer dollars to block laws passed by elected legislators such as voter ID and citizenship verification."

Holder has a problem with Texas verifying the citizenship of persons who want to vote.

Imagine that!

Engelbrecht's (and True the Vote's) position is delightfully simple and fair:

"Every American voter deserves to have his or her vote counted - and not diluted by fraud or error. The DOJ just put itself between the voters of Texas and their guaranteed constitutional and civil rights.

"True the Vote has watched as Attorney General Eric Holder has repeatedly disregarded the rule of law. We understand that this Department of Justice does not believe that protection of voters' rights should be colorblind.

"Texas will stand its ground in San Antonio - that's a promise."

No wonder Holder doesn't like stand your ground laws either!

God bless Catherine Engelbrecht, and God save America from Holder's legal shenanigans.

Michael J. Gaynor

Biography - Michael J. Gaynor

Michael J. Gaynor has been practicing law in New York since 1973. A former partner at Fulton, Duncombe & Rowe and Gaynor & Bass, he is a solo practitioner admitted to practice in New York state and federal courts and an Association of the Bar of the City of New York member.

Gaynor graduated magna cum laude, with Honors in Social Science, from Hofstra University's New College, and received his J.D. degree from St. John's Law School, where he won the American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence and served as an editor of the Law Review and the St. Thomas More Institute for Legal Research. He wrote on the Pentagon Papers case for the Review and obscenity law for The Catholic Lawyer and edited the Law Review's commentary on significant developments in New York law.

The day after graduating, Gaynor joined the Fulton firm, where he focused on litigation and corporate law. In 1997 Gaynor and Emily Bass formed Gaynor & Bass and then conducted a general legal practice, emphasizing litigation, and represented corporations, individuals and a New York City labor union. Notably, Gaynor & Bass prevailed in the Second Circuit in a seminal copyright infringement case, Tasini v. New York Times, against newspaper and magazine publishers and Lexis-Nexis. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed, 7 to 2, holding that the copyrights of freelance writers had been infringed when their work was put online without permission or compensation.

Gaynor currently contributes regularly to www.MichNews.com, www.RenewAmerica.com, www.WebCommentary.com, www.PostChronicle.com and www.therealitycheck.org and has contributed to many other websites. He has written extensively on political and religious issues, notably the Terry Schiavo case, the Duke "no rape" case, ACORN and canon law, and appeared as a guest on television and radio. He was acknowledged in Until Proven Innocent, by Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson, and Culture of Corruption, by Michelle Malkin. He appeared on "Your World With Cavuto" to promote an eBay boycott that he initiated and "The World Over With Raymond Arroyo" (EWTN) to discuss the legal implications of the Schiavo case. On October 22, 2008, Gaynor was the first to report that The New York Times had killed an Obama/ACORN expose on which a Times reporter had been working with ACORN whistleblower Anita MonCrief.

Gaynor's email address is gaynormike@aol.com.