The Fourth District Court of Appeals will not lift a permanent injunction stopping Wisconsin’s Voter ID law from being enforced. A Dane County Judge had issued the permanent injunction in a lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin League of Women Voters.
The group’s executive director Andrea Kaminski is pleased with the ruling. She says if the ID requirements had gone back into effect “you could have qualified voters who would not be able to vote and have their votes counted in the coming elections in May and June.”
The League argues the law is unconstitutional because it creates a new class of people who are not allowed to vote — those who lack a state-issued photo ID. Kaminski says regardless of party affiliation, all eligible voters have the right to vote. “These are important elections, no matter what side you’re on, or what your feelings are about any of the candidates, or about the recall itself.”
The state appeals court also noted that there’s no realistic possibility that a decision on the appeal will be made before the June 5th general recall election. The decision comes just a day after the Second District Court of Appeals declined to lift a temporary injunction in a separate lawsuit. That case is currently awaiting a final decision at the circuit court level.
Kaminski is pleased with Thursday’s ruling, and is confident her group has a strong case.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 1:42
(Andrew Beckett contributed to this report)
