Judge hints he may block Pennsylvania voter ID

[TroyD]

(Edited to add: This Judge is a Republican.)

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September 26, 2012

HARRISBURG - With just six weeks until the presidential election, a judge raised the possibility Tuesday that he would move to block Pennsylvania's controversial voter ID law.

"I'm giving you a heads-up," Commonwealth Court Judge Robert E. Simpson Jr. told lawyers after a day's testimony on whether the law is being implemented in ways that ensure no voters will be disenfranchised. "I think it's a possibility there could be an injunction here."

Simpson then asked lawyers on both sides to be prepared to return to court Thursday to present arguments on what such an injunction should look like. There is no hearing Wednesday because of Yom Kippur.

Simpson gave few if any further clues to what he may decide. But his comments provided a dramatic end to a day of testimony in a protracted and widely watched fight over the law, which requires voters to present photo identification at the polls.

More:

http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-26/news/34103676_1_controversial-voter-id-law-predictive-judgment-david-gersch

[davidpdx]

1. The question becomes if he places an injunction

Will the Republicans be able to appeal before the election? I think this might go to the next level the appeals court I believe.

[HopeHoops]

6. No. The PASC won't touch it again until their next session (post election).

[AlinPA]

2. The judge is a republican. Don't hold your breath.

[TroyD]

3. What I meant was that people assumed the Court would split 3-3

If this Republican judge votes with the 3 Dems, our side will win.

[Cosmocat]

4. That isn't where it is at

the supreme court of 6 sitting judges played hot potato with it and voted 4-2 to kick it back down to the idiot who let it stand in the first go around.

It is his decision again right now.

[TroyD]

9. You're right

Guess I got confused with all the back and forth between the courts.

Still, the fact remains he is a Republican judge so it's good that he might issue an injunction against the law.

[Cosmocat]

10. I don't have a lot of confidence

that he will.

he is making some sounds like he might put it on hold until next year, but the clown should never have let it stand in the first place.

[HopeHoops]

7. Keep in mind two things. The PA court is RARE because it often crosses party lines, AND...

The 2 who voted against kicking it down to Simpson did so because they wanted the PASC to issue it's OWN injunction, not pass the burden back. The only recent justice with a solid RW ideology was Orie, and she stepped down after being indicted (as were both of her sisters).

[PRETZEL]

5. I'm starting to think the judge will issue an injunction,

personally, I think the Dems across the state and those commissioners and county executives who took advantage of the loophole around this will force the issue.

[Skee]

8. The real problem is the blackbox.

It doesn't matter if Pennsylvanians can
jump through all the ID hoops or not.

Pennsylvania doesn't have valid elections.

PA may be the blackbox capital of the world.

The people of Philadelphia, for example, are forced to use
the same defective electronics which produced thousands
of fake votes for Bush in Ohio in 2004. The systems in
PA caused undervote rates, historically always less than
3%, to soar to 70-80%.

The government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
systematically violated the elections laws to remove real
ballots and deprive the citizens of representation.

[mvd]

11. If this stands, that is another reason I am voting for President Obama

I may not agree with his philosophy sometimes, but he has to beat Romney. Then we can focus on someone more progressive.

[mucifer]

12. Norman Goldman discussed this on his radio show. What he said was

that the law will probably stand. BUT, it won't take effect until after this election because the state supreme court ruled that it is constitutional, but there isn't enough time for people to get their ID. So, they are saying that people have to have more time to prepare themselves to vote.