*****BREAKING NEWS***** Court strikes down North Carolina voter ID law

[DemocratSinceBirth]

A federal appeals court has struck down North Carolina’s voter identification law, holding that it was “passed with racially discriminatory intent.”
The ruling also invalidated changes the state made in 2013 to early voting, same-day registration, out-of-precinct voting, and preregistration.
The state could seek to appeal the decision to the full bench of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals or to the Supreme Court, but it seems unlikely those courts will step in to restore the voter ID law and other voting-related changes in advance of the November election.


http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/court-strikes-down-north-carolina-voter-id-law-226438#ixzz4Foh21YMK

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Finally.

[L. Coyote]

59. it was “passed with racially discriminatory intent" is all too obvious. They over-reached again.

[Volaris]

72. What was it Alito asked during the case to gut the voting rights act?

Do you really expect this Court to find that the former confederacy is inherently more racist than the rest of the country? (that's not the exact quote, that's a paraphrase)

Seems the Good Justice has his fucking answer, doesnt he, and that from a Court that isn't half-Crazy.

[ismnotwasm]

2. WOOT!

[liberal N proud]

3. Great news

I know a bunch of North Carolinians who will be pissed, but then they are pissed about everything.

[nikto]

61. I hope they don't leave yellow stains on the white sheets they wear

[Mira]

67. Not this one LOL I'm swinging from the chandeliers. n/t

I'm swinging from the chandeliers.

[G_j]

4. Yes!

[MattP]

5. Could be the difference in the election if it's close

[treestar]

6. ...

[leftynyc]

7. AWESOME news

This has been quite a week.

[Hekate]

8. Wonderful news

[auntpurl]

9. FANTASTIC! If GOTV efforts are strengthened there

NC will be blue!

[ncgrits]

50. YES WE WILL! nt

[Bobbie Jo]

10. K&R!

[nclib]

11. Cool!

This is great news!!!!!!!!!!!

[Maru Kitteh]

12. HAPPINESS!

[MoonRiver]

13. FANTASTIC!

[B Calm]

14. Great news!

[Bradical79]

15. Excellent news! -nt

[whatthehey]

16. Great - now what are the odds the pollworkers will conveniently "forget" this?

I have the ID needed and have no interest in wasting time testing them but I'll advise anyone I know without ID to print out an official copy of this ruling and be ready to call party legal volunteers if turned away..

[mcar]

17. Great news!

[RexCasual]

18. Win :)

[MADem]

19. To quote Joe Biden, "This is a BFD!"

[meow2u3]

20. Yippee!

Victory for democracy. Take that, election fraudsters!

[Princess Turandot]

21. This very long opinion reads like a primer on the deliberate disenfranchisement of black voters...

worth reading if you have the time.

...Before enacting that law, the legislature requested data on the use, by race, of a number of voting practices. Upon receipt of the race data, the General Assembly enacted legislation that restricted voting and registration in five different ways, all of which disproportionately affected African Americans.

In response to claims that intentional racial discrimination animated its action, the State offered only meager justifications. Although the new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision, they constitute inapt remedies for the problems assertedly justifying them and, in fact, impose cures for problems that did not exist. Thus the asserted justifications cannot and do not conceal the State’s true motivation. “In essence,” as in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (LULAC), 548 U.S. 399, 440 (2006), “the State took away minority voters’ opportunity because they were about to exercise it.” As in LULAC, “this bears the mark of intentional discrimination.” Id.

......In sum, the array of electoral “reforms” the General Assembly pursued in SL 2013-381 were not tailored to achieve its purported justifications, a number of which were in all events insubstantial. In many ways, the challenged provisions in SL 2013-381 constitute solutions in search of a problem. The only clear factor linking these various “reforms” is their impact on African American voters. The record thus makes obvious that the “problem” the majority in the General Assembly sought to remedy was emerging support for the minority party. Identifying and restricting the ways African Americans vote was an easy and effective way to do so. We therefore must conclude that race constituted a but-for cause of SL 2013-381, in violation of the Constitutional and statutory prohibitions on intentional discrimination.

https://mgtvwnct.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/4th-circuit-court-of-appeals-strikes-down-voter-id-law.pdf (The opinion starts on page 9).

[AllyCat]

22. Ok, WI, MI, NC...I know there is another state. How many states this month have

struck these stupid ID laws down?

[dsc]

24. tx

[AllyCat]

25. These are all swing states except TX. Wow!

[nikto]

62. "...Struck these immoral, unethical and deceptive Laws down"

I just wanted to enhance the accuracy of your original statement.

[Skidmore]

23. I just read this else where.

This is such good news.

[SharonClark]

26. Fantastic!

[Raster]

27. OH HELL YES!

[bluestateguy]

28. That will help HRC in North Carolina

nt

[Beartracks]

71. And the down-tickets. Don't forget the down-tickets!

And not just in Prez Election years, either!!!



=======================

[retrowire]

29. WOOOO!!!! yes! nt

[benld74]

30. BOO-YA!!!!

[mountain grammy]

31. Can't let them steal this one. Good news.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

32. Bad news for Tump humpers (nt)

[lillypaddle]

33. Woooohoooo! n/t

[lovemydog]

34. This is great news!

Another example of why we need a democratic president who will appoint judges & a democratic congress that will confirm them.

[Andy823]

35. Great news K&R nt

[Hulk]

36. Hurray!!!

How many more states do we have to correct?

[DemonGoddess]

37. K&R!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. There needs to be precinct observers in place.

[bucolic_frolic]

39. Fear the party that fears your vote

They just trying to steal elections by depriving you of your civil right

to a free, fair, and unfettered ballot

[progree]

40. Takeaway lesson: Its not just the Supreme Court justices that the president appoints,

the president also appoints federal appeals court and federal district judges, and they all matter too (e.g. the Supreme Court only hears about 10% of the cases that are appealed to it, IMMSMC).

*IMMSMC - If my memory serves me correctly. It might be an even smaller percent than that, I'm sure it isn't a larger percent.

[UMTerp01]

42. Your post right here is the most important one in this thread. So true!!!!

Its not just about the Supreme Court. This is why I don't get why people don't vote in midterms. It helps the President appoint these federal appeals could and federal district judges. Very very very very very important point!!!

This ruling though is wonderful news and definitely puts North Carolina in play in a major way.

[progree]

46. Very true about the wonderful news, and the importance of N.C. in this election

[font color = blue]>>This ruling though is wonderful news and definitely puts North Carolina in play in a major way.<<[/font]

And it helped a lot that of the 3 judges who ruled on this case, 2 were appointed by B.H. Obama (D), and one by W.J. Clinton (D).

[yardwork]

51. That's what it's all about.

[Still In Wisconsin]

41. How many is that now?

I know the one here in WI was largely eliminated by the SC a few weeks back. There were at least two other states.

[LonghornJack]

43. ...at least 3 this month.

Someone mentioned earlier in this thread.... Wisconsin, Michigan and Texas.

LHN

[NoMoreRepugs]

44. huuuuuuge WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LonghornJack]

45. Great News -- Especially for Rev. Barber

Rev. William Barber II gave a tremendous talk at the DNC Thursday night. He rocked the place!

I recall that he was very active in the fight against the NC voter restriction law, and was at the forefront of "Moral Monday" demonstrations at the state capitol.

This has to be a great vindication of all his efforts. Congratulations to him and his supporters for this significant court win. The court's opinion made no bones about the GOP legislators' discriminatory intent. It turns out that the Rev was right.

This a great win for Rev. Barber, North Carolinians, and all who believe in democracy.

Go Hillary!

LHN

[yardwork]

52. I love Reverend Barber.

[KeepItReal]

47. Awesomeness.

[Javaman]

48. yay!

I hope Texas follows soon. It's being held up for some reason.

if this happens, the concept of Texas turning blue becomes a reality.

[ncgrits]

49. Oh. My. GOOOOODDDDDDD!

I am so freakin' happy!!!!!!

Oh. My. GOD!!!!!!!!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

53. That is the 4th state in the last two weeks where this law was struck down!!!

[calimary]

64. And what a fantastic trend it is!

I hope ALL these "laws" are struck down! WHY anybody would want to change the laws to make it HARDER to vote is beyond me. Unless maybe it's because they know if more people are able to vote, more people will not vote for them...

[Sheepshank]

54. N Carolina getting smacked around not just for voter ID laws, but they were intended to be Racially

...discriminating.

Assholes.

They are lucky they don't get their asses sued now that determination has been made.

[sarae]

55. K&R!

Thanks for the good news.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

56. What about Texas?

[wryter2000]

57. Moral Monday's ruled

Awesome

[procon]

58. How many states is this now? nt

[nikto]

60. YeSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ornotna]

63. Wonderful news! n/t

[wildeyed]

65. I am SO happy.

I do a bunch of voter registration in NC and I was NOT looking forward to trying to explain this piece of shit law to people.

My experience in the primaries, it also backs the lines up like crazy because the volunteers are so bogged down with the BS. I think their intent was to disenfranchise as many voters as possible and then force a bunch to leave the line because of long lines.

Happy dance time!

[unitedwethrive]

66. Nice!!

[obamanut2012]

68. There is a good chance this decision will tip NC blue in November

This is a very, very important decision.

[AllyCat]

69. Oh jeez, and now KS?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

70. 147 Recs. Thank you !!!

[Mira]

73. May I please recommend this again?

Like a thousand times?
I live in Winston-Salem, and I paid attention through that trial, and waited for many months for the judge to give his verdict, and when it came, that wa a day at my house that will live in infamy

[Orcrist]

74. YES!

Glad hear this was struck down. These type laws are at best a solution in search of a non existent problem and at worst just a thinly veiled attempt to suppress democratic voters.

[SheriffBob]

75. I hope

this ruling leads to the defeat of the most racist governor in the Union.

I am from NC and I thank the Creator for this decision.

[Gothmog]

76. Two different people called me about this ruling

This is another major ruling on this issue

[jcgoldie]

77. How many other swing states have these laws? nt

[JackBoik]

78. Acoording to the Brennan Center for Justice, seventeen

New Voting Restrictions in Place for 2016 Presidential Election

In 2016, 17 states will have new voting restrictions in place for the first time in a presidential election. The new laws range from strict photo ID requirements to early voting cutbacks to registration restrictions.

Those 17 states are: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.


[link:http://www.brennancenter.org/voting-restrictions-first-time-2016|

[jcgoldie]

79. Ohio and virginia I would guess are the big ones

Where this could seriously impact the election.