As promised, Texas federal judge blocks state's voter ID law

MANSFIELD, TX - NOVEMBER 06: An election official answers a question for a voter on November 6, 2012 in Mansfield, Texas. Americans across the country participate in Election Day as President Barack Obama and Republican nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remain in a virtual tie in the national exit polls. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) (2012 Getty Images)

A federal judge, as she promised two days before, has filed a permanent injunction against enforcement of a tough Texas voter ID law.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos filed her one-paragraph order Saturday in Corpus Christi, likely paving the way for an appeal promised by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

The order was a formality as Gonzales Ramos had issued a 147-page opinion late Thursday night finding the voter ID law to be discriminatory and unconstitutional.

The ruling comes just weeks ahead of the November elections. It's a defeat for Republican-backed photo ID measures that have swept across the U.S. in recent years. Most have been upheld in court, but the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Wisconsin from implementing its voter ID law.