Raleigh, North Carolina – North Carolina Photo voter identification law It was upheld Thursday, with a federal judge rejecting civil rights groups’ arguments that Republicans enacted the requirement with the intent to discriminate against Black and Latino voters.
The decision was made by US District Judge Loretta Biggs, who Preside in spring 2024 During a non-jury trial In a lawsuit The advance, made by the state NAACP and several local branches, is a major legal victory for Republican legislative leaders who passed the law in late 2018 — weeks after voters approved a constitutional amendment supporting the idea. The state Supreme Court also upheld the law in 2023. The NAACP can appeal Biggs’ decision.
After overcoming legal hurdles, the ID mandate under the 2018 law was implemented for the first time in municipal elections in the fall of 2023. More than 5.7 million registered voters in the ninth-largest state were also subject to the measure in November 2024 when they cast ballots for president, governor, and a host of state and local offices. Another 1.5 million voters cast ballots under the law during the last primary on March 3.