Judge Confirms North Carolina’s Photo Voter ID Law NAACP Chapters Claimed Republicans Enacted It With Bias
AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek, File
A federal judge has ruled in favor of North Carolina’s photo voter identification requirement, dismissing claims from civil rights organizations that the law was created to intentionally discriminate against Black and Latino voters.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs issued the ruling Thursday following a nonjury trial she oversaw in spring 2024. The case was brought by the North Carolina NAACP along with several of its local branches, which argued that Republican lawmakers passed the measure with discriminatory motives.
Biggs’ decision represents a major legal win for Republican leaders in the state legislature. Lawmakers approved the voter ID requirement in late 2018, shortly after North Carolina voters passed a constitutional amendment supporting the policy. The law had already survived another challenge when the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld it in 2023.
The NAACP still has the option to challenge the ruling through an appeal.
After years of legal disputes, the voter ID requirement was first implemented during municipal elections in the fall of 2023. The rule later applied to more than 5.7 million registered voters across North Carolina—the country’s ninth-largest state—during the November 2024 elections for president, governor, and numerous statewide and local offices. In addition, roughly 1.5 million voters cast ballots under the law during the March 3 primary.
About Post Author
