The Wisconsin Supreme Court today refused to take up the appeals of rulings blocking the state’s controversial voter ID law. The law, passed by the Wisconsin legislature and signed by Governor Scott Walker, was blocked last month by two Dane County Circuit Court judges.
“Today’s decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court is good news for opponents of this harmful law because it remains blocked from going into effect,” said Keesha Gaskins, senior counsel at the Brennan Center. “Voter ID proposals are a solution in search of a problem, needlessly disenfranchising millions of voters nationwide. Rather than erecting senseless barriers to voting, we should make our voting system work for all Americans by upgrading our ramshackle voter registration system.”
A trial in one of the lawsuits — involving the Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP and Voces de la Frontera — began today before Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan.
Nine states passed restrictive voter ID laws since the beginning of 2011. These new laws could make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote, according to a Brennan Center report.
Legal experts from the Brennan Center for Justice have been monitoring the rollback of voting rights in Wisconsin and in states across the country. To speak with one of them about what’s at stake, please contact Erik Opsal (erik.opsal@nyu.edu, 646–292–8356).