The restrictive law was thrown out last year, after a court ruled it was intentionally designed to discriminate against black people. State Republicans have tried several times to appeal.
The U. S. Supreme Court has declined once again to reinstate North Carolina’s strict voter ID law, which was struck down last year after a court ruled it was intentionally designed to stop African-Americans from voting. The nation’s highest court refused to consider an appeal by North Carolina Republicans, NPR’s Pam Fessler reports. «Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the court’s refusal to consider an appeal did not signify an opinion on the merits of the case, » Pam says. It’s not the first time the Supreme Court has considered an appeal over the law, which was one of the country’s strictest. It was put in place after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and cleared the way for states with a history of discrimination to craft new voting laws without federal oversight. Michael Tomsic of member station WFAE about the lengthy battle over North Carolina’s law, which was ostensibly meant to combat voter fraud: Those provisions of the law were struck down in July 2016 by the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In its ruling, the law was intentionally designed to discriminate against black people. North Carolina legislators had requested data on voting patterns by race, and then, with that data in hand, drafted a law that would «target African Americans with almost surgical precision, » the court said. The state appealed to the Supreme Court, which in time for elections. The legal drama continued, as: «The state and then-Governor Pat McCrory appealed the Fourth Circuit decision to the Supreme Court. As the Supreme Court discussed whether to hear the case, the state under a new Democratic governor Roy Cooper asked to withdraw the appeal.» That’s the appeal the high court announced Monday that it will be hearing. Voting rights have been making headlines again this month, after President Trump announced the creation of a presidential commission to investigate voter fraud. «Numerous independent investigations have concluded that voter fraud exists, but is extremely limited in scope, » Pam. Critics said the commission would justify voter suppression efforts, while state election officials are worried it could «divert attention from other serious concerns, such as aging equipment and the threat of hacking, » Pam wrote.
