U.S. Supreme Court Won't Hear NC Voting Case

In 2013, the Obama administration tried to suspend North Carolina’s new voting laws, described as “stringent,” before the midterm elections. The laws would require voters to present government-issued photo ID before casting a ballot, eliminate Sunday voting and early-voting registration for people turning 18 by Election Day, and shorten the early-voting period.

The reason Democrats oppose the laws? The usual — they imply that blacks are too dumb/ignorant/lazy to obey laws.

A federal court declined the administration’s request, concluding the motion to put the law on hold failed to demonstrate that the plaintiffs were “likely to suffer irreparable harm – a necessary prerequisite for preliminary relief – before trial in the absence of an injunction.” The court also denied a request to post federal observers at the polls.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to review the case. An excerpt from Reuters:

The Supreme Court’s action has little immediate impact as a full trial on the legality of the law is scheduled for this summer, with a final ruling likely ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The appeals court had said same-day registration and provisional voting for those casting ballots outside their normal precincts, both barred by the law, should be allowed.

In October, the Supreme Court allowed the restrictions to go into effect until the justices had time to consider the state’s appeal in full, with two of the nine justices dissenting.

The law was passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature in 2013.

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik – Some Rights Reserved (Creative Commons)