Constitutional showdown looms at Pa. voter ID trial
Pennsylvania’s voter identification law is going on trial.
Civil libertarians who say the photo ID requirement violates voters’ rights persuaded a state judge to bar enforcement of during the 2012 presidential election and the May primary. But those were temporary orders. The trial set to begin July 15 in Commonwealth Court will explore more complicated constitutional questions.
It could be a long process. Lawyers in the case say a panel of Commonwealth Court judges may weigh in on the case following the trial, before what both sides expect will be an appeal by the loser to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers have asked the court to bar enforcement of the law until the case has been resolved by the state’s high court, probably after the Nov. 5 election.
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