State Supreme Court Refuses to Take Up Voter ID Law

The state Supreme Court has refused to hear arguments about Voter ID because one case has yet to go through the appellate court.

This means come November, voters will not be required to show a photo ID before casting a ballot.

WisPolitics.com is reporting that justices issued two brief orders; one of which called state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's petition to jump over the appeals court as "premature."

According to a story on JSOnline.com, if they take up the case at all, justices would prefer to hear both cases at once.

Van Hollen issued a statement shortly after the decision was made public:

The Voter ID law protects the integrity of our elections.  Injunctions entered by circuit court judges, acting alone, have already kept this law from being applied in several important elections over the past year. 

I am very disappointed that the Supreme Court has failed to act by denying the motions to consolidate these actions, bypass the Court of Appeals, and stay the injunctions against the Voter ID law.

The result is that the injunctions against the Voter ID law remain in effect and will, in all likelihood, be in effect for the upcoming November elections.

Despite this setback, I continue to believe that the Voter ID law is constitutional and I will continue the battle to have the law upheld.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Neiss issued a permanent injunction in March. Less than a week later, Judge David Flanagan issued a temporary stop in answer to lawsuits filed by the Milwaukee NAACP and Voces de la Frontera, and at least two other groups.

In at the conclusion of the trial for the NAACP/Voces de la Frontera case.

Voters should remember, though, that some requirements of the law remain in place, such as requiring voters to sign a poll book and to live in the same district where they will cast their ballot for 28 consecutive days.