Pa. in no hurry for Supreme Court ruling on voter ID

The court battle continues over Pennsylvania’s voter ID law. A lower court judge rejected a request to delay enforcement of the law until after the November election. The law’s opponents now have taken the issue to the state Supreme Court, but state officials say the court should be in no hurry.

With Election Day so close, the plaintiffs who challenges the voter ID law asked the high court to expedite its ruling, producing a decision by mid-September.

State Attorney General Linda Kelly doesn’t agree. She wrote to the court, saying a date in mid-October would be “more realistic.”

Kelly is acting on behalf of the Department of State. Her office referred requests for clarification to the Department of State. The Department of State referred questions to the attorney general’s office.

“It’s in everybody’s best interest to know one way or the other whether the voter ID requirement is going to be in effect for this election,” argues Vic Walzcak, the ACLU lead attorney for the case against the voter ID law.

The higher court’s much-anticipated scheduling decision is expected this week.

Meanwhile, the federal Department of Justice said it would investigate the state’s conduct in the voter ID controversy. The Corbett administration had harsh words about that, calling the inquiry “unprecedented.”