Voter Suppression

BFD: Federal Judge Rules Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unconstitutional

This is a significant ruling because the law doesn’t only violate the Voting Rights Act; it also violates the Fourteenth Amendment according to Judge Lynn Adelman.

From the Associated Press

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman sided with opponents of the law, who argued that low-income and minority voters aren’t as likely to have photo IDs or the documents needed to get them. Adelman said the law violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.

Adelman’s decision invalidates Wisconsin’s law and could set a precedent for similar legal challenges in Texas, North Carolina and elsewhere.

Fortunately for the residents of Wisconsin and other states, local judges aren’t as convinced as the Supreme Court that racism is over.

This decision is already being appealed, however it is not the only lawsuit challenging the voter ID law which was passed in 2011. The League of Women Voters and the NAACP are also challenging the law in state court, arguing that it violates the state constitution.