Supreme court declines to reinstate North Carolina voter ID law News
Supreme court declines to reinstate North Carolina voter ID law

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] on Wednesday denied a motion to reinstate [order, PDF] North Carolina’s recently overturned law that limited early voting to 10 days and required voters to present approved identification cards. Last month the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] struck down [JURIST report] portions of the law upon finding discriminatory intent primarily concerning black state residents. Earlier this month the appeals court also denied [JURIST report] the state’s motion to stay the court’s order pending appeal to the Supreme Court. The four conservative justices would have granted the stay. Since the state law will remain overturned, early voting will continue to last for 17 days. Furthermore, the law’s provisions eliminating same day early voting registration, the counting of ballots by voters away from their home precinct, and the voting preregristation program for residents under 18 will not take effect.

Voting rights remain a controversial legal issue in the US. Last week the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website] denied [JURIST report] an emergency petition for a rehearing regarding the Wisconsin voter ID law. The Illinois Supreme Court concluded [JURIST report] last week that placing a redistricting proposal on the ballot this fall would be unconstitutional. Earlier this month an Oklahoma County judge upheld a controversial voter identification law [JURIST report] allowing the law to be in place while early voting commenced for a primary run-off. Last month voter restrictions were overturned not only in North Carolina, but in Kansas and Wisconsin [JURIST reports]. Also last month Michigan Attorney General spokesman John Sellek said [JURIST report] that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson plan to appeal an injunction on the state’s law eliminating straight-ticket voting. Also Cook County Circuit Court Judge Diane Larsen blocked [JURIST report] a ballot measure proposing an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that aimed to eliminate the General Assembly’s power to draw legislative district boundaries.