Justices let Wisconsin voter ID law stand

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear amajor challenge to Wisconsin’s voter ID law, delivering a victory to Republicans who favor tougher election laws.

The decision is a setback for civil rights groups that contend the law could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of residents who lack proper ID — particularly racial minorities, seniors, students and people with disabilities.

It turns both sides’ sights on Texas, where a similar statute is pending before a federal appeals court.

For now, it appears a majority of high court justices approve of photo- ID laws such as Wisconsin’s, which does not involve allegations of intentional racial discrimination. None of the high court’s more liberal justices voiced dissent with the decision not to hear the case.

New election laws in both states, along with Ohio and North Carolina, forced the high court to settle last- minute disputes before the 2014 elections. Justices generally tried not to change procedures as voters were set to go to the polls, but they didn’t rule on the broader issue: what types of state limits are constitutional.

Last year, a federal judge declared Wisconsin’s law unconstitutional because it disproportionately affected black and Hispanic residents. An appeals court reversed that decision in September, in part because of changes made by state officials to ease the burden on those lacking proper ID.

The justices’ refusal to hear objections to the law means that Wisconsin will become the eighth state with a strict photo identification law that allows no exceptions to a government- issued ID. The others are Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.