U.S. High Court Won’t Revive North Carolina Voter-ID Law
- Supreme Court justices divide 4-4 on order in voting dispute
- Action is win for Obama administration, civil rights groups
The U.S. Supreme Court is shown as the court meets to issue decisions on May 23, 2016, in Washington.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
An evenly divided U.S. Supreme Court refused to reinstate North Carolina’s Republican-backed voter-ID requirement for the November election, leaving intact a lower court’s conclusion that lawmakers intentionally discriminated against racial minorities.
The high court rejected the state’s bid to halt much of the federal appeals court ruling, splitting 4-4 along ideological lines on the central questions. The -- issued without explanation -- is a victory for the Obama administration and civil rights groups, which challenged the North Carolina law and won a ruling that is likely to help Democrats in November.