Citation: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Demands Attorney General Halt Texas Primary Color Bar as Unconstitutional.” Press release, July 27, 1934. NAACP Papers, Part 04: Voting Rights and the Voting Rights Campaign, 1916–1965. ProQuest History Vault.
This press release publicly condemns Texas officials for continuing to exclude Black voters despite Supreme Court rulings and calls on the Attorney General to intervene. It is significant because it shows that the NAACP combined legal action with public advocacy rather than relying solely on courtroom victories. The document demonstrates a strategic shift toward applying political pressure and demanding enforcement of constitutional rights when litigation alone proved insufficient. It also emphasizes the gap between legal rulings and political reality, showing that formal decisions did not automatically dismantle exclusion in practice. As Michael Klarman emphasizes, civil-rights victories often required sustained enforcement to become meaningful, while Darlene Clark Hine highlights the importance of combining litigation with broader mobilization. This source therefore reveals the NAACP’s strategy as both legal and political.