The showdown over the Florida voter purge escalates. (photo: Erik (HASH) Hersman)

The Justice Department and Florida have each announced plans to sue the other in an escalating standoff over the state’s controversial voter purge. Justice officials asked Florida last week to halt an effort to remove thousands of registered voters from the rolls, people Florida says are non-U.S. citizens. Critics say 87 percent of those targeted are people of color and say the purge is part of an effort to disenfranchise Democratic voters in a key election state. The Justice Department announced its lawsuit after Florida vowed to continue the crackdown, and Florida said it would bring a suit of its own over the federal government’s denial of access to a citizenship database.