Judge temporarily stops voter ID law

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Wisconsin’s new voter ID law has been shut down until a judge can hold a trial and decide if it’s constitutional.

Dane County Judge David Flanagan granted a temporary injunction today in a lawsuit from the NAACP and the Milwaukee Hispanic group, Voces de la Frontera.

The injunction means Wisconsin voters will not have to show their photo ID’s or sign voter books April 3 when the state’s presidential primary and local elections are held.

Flanagan will hold a trial April 16 to determine if the voter law should be struck down permanently.

The lawsuit is one of four filed by various groups against the photo ID mandate. They all claim that it discourages the poor, minorities, elderly and college students from voting.

Flanagan agreed in his ruling: “The scope of the impairment has been shown to be serious, extremely broad and largely needless.”

The judge also said the plaintiffs have a “very substantial likelihood” that they’ll win their case.

Attorney Richard Saks of the NAACP said hundreds of thousands of people find it difficult or impossible to get acceptable ID’s. He called today’s injunction “a solid victory for voting rights and for all voters in the state of Wisconsin.”

The state Department of Justice, which defends the voter ID law, has not commented. The Government Accountability Board did not comment immediately.

Cullen Werwie of Gov. Scott Walker’s office basically repeated their previous defense of the law – that ensuring the integrity of elections is a “core function of government.” Werwie said the governor remains confident the photo ID law will prevail.

Tags: news, wisconsin, government