Supreme Court to hear North Carolina voter ID case

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a case involving North Carolina's voter ID law.

The lawsuit, brought by Republican lawmakers in the state, doesn't involve the constitutionality of the law itself, but rather who can legally defend the law against such challenges.

The question is whether the administration of North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, or the Republican-controlled General Assembly would speak for the state in lawsuits against the law.

North Carolina law requires anyone voting to present photo ID, a measure that's been challenged by civil rights organizations that say it unfairly affects Black and Latino voters. The General Assembly passed the law in December 2018, overriding a governor's veto, according to The Hill.

North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore applauded the Supreme Court's decision to hear the case.

"We look forward to taking this fight to the U.S. Supreme Court," he said. "Attorney General Josh Stein has repeatedly put his political position above the will of the voters and cannot be trusted to defend North Carolina's constitutional voter ID law.

"The people have spoken. A resounding majority of North Carolina voters have approved voter ID at the ballot box. We will ensure their voices are heard. We will mount a vigorous defense of the law on behalf of the citizens of North Carolina.

CNN reported that Stein asked the Supreme Court to deny the Republican lawmakers' request for a hearing because the Cooper administration was "already actively defending the challenged law."