Pennsylvania Supreme Court sends Voter ID law back to lower court
September 18, 2012
Pennsylvania: This afternoon the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on the state's controversial Voter ID law. It sent the case back to the Commonwealth Court, asking it to rule on the feasibility of supplying ID cards to all eligible voters before the November election. A study has shown that the mandating identification cards in order to vote may disenfranchise as much as 9% of the electorate this November in Pennsylvania.[1]
The case is being heard by a reduced Supreme Court, since Justice Joan Orie Melvin has been suspended during an ethics hearing. The vote in today's decision was 4-2. The two dissenting justices felt that the lower court decision should be reversed, since the election is less than two months away.[2][1]
The lower court has until October 2 to submit a report on the ability of voters to procure IDs before the election. Because of the new law, the Department of State has already started creating a new type of ID card for voters.[1][3]
Today's decision was a result of an appeal to the August ruling by Judge Robert Simpson which denied an injunction stopping the new law from taking effect. To learn more about the previous ruling, see: Pennsylvania judge allows Voter ID law to take effect from August 15, 2012.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bloomberg Business Week, "Pennsylvania Supreme Court Sets Aside Voter-Id Ruling," September 18, 2012
- ↑ Philly.com, "Pa. Supreme Court orders more review on voter ID law," September 18, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "Pennsylvania voter ID law needs urgent review, state's highest court rules," September 18, 2012
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