A second state judge in Wisconsin has blocked the state’s voter ID law from taking effect, the Associated Press reports:
The latest order may make it harder for the state to put the voter ID law into effect before the April 3 election because it would have to win two appeals in less than four weeks. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has asked for a stay of the earlier order, and he is expected to appeal it this week.
Whether Wisconsin’s photo ID law will stand is widely considered to be decided by a higher court. There are four lawsuits pending against it – two in Dane County court and two in federal court in Milwaukee.
Republicans had complained that a judge who blocked the suit last week signed a petition for the recall of Gov. Scott Walker, who signed the voter ID bill into law. Unlike South Carolina and Texas, Wisconsin is not covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, so the U.S. Justice Department hasn’t yet weighed in, but several national organizations have brought cases opposing the law in federal court.
