Pennsylvania Supreme Court Sends Voter ID Law Back To Lower Court

The state Supreme Court has vacated a lower court's decison upholding Pennsylvania's voter ID law and ordered the court to review the decision. The high court ruled that the lower court should evaluate whether the state is actually capable of getting identification to state voters as the law prescribes.

While finding that Pennsylvania legislators had acted in "good faith," the Supreme Court ruled that their "ambitious effort" to provide a new identification procedure "has by no means been seamless in light of the serious operational constraints faced by the executive branch."

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/pa-supreme-court-orders-review-of-voter-id


by Meteor Blades
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/18/1133417/-Pennsylvania-Supreme-Court-sends-voter-ID-case-back-to-lower-court

In a ruling that could lead to a blocking of Pennsylvania's restrictive new voter-ID law, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tuesday has told a district court judge to look again at his decision saying the law passed muster.

The justices did not overturn the law, but instead told the judge to determine whether it is realistic to expect state's Department of Transportation to be able to issue photo ID cards to people who do not currently have them in time for the Nov. 6 election. The number of such people is estimated at from 100,000 to 1.6 million.
http://www.pacourts.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/J-114-2012pco.pdf

If the lower court decides that getting the required photo-ID will be subject to back-ups and other problems that results in disenfranchisement, the high court says the judge must block the law from going forward. At the very least, that would put it off until the next election.

Two justices dissented, arguing that the evidence is clear that the law presents onerous problems for obtaining IDs within the time-frame available.

Pa Supreme Court orders more review on voter ID law
The Supreme Court has ordered that the state's controversial new voter ID law be returned to a lower court for a speedy hearing on how the state is implementing it to ensure all voters have access to appropriate state-issued photo identification.

The decision was 4-2, with Justices Seamus McCaffery and Debra McCloskey Todd dissenting.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120918_Pa_Supreme_Court_orders_more_hearings_on_Voter_ID_law.html