Appeals Court: District Court Ruling Could Cause 'Irreparable Injury'
A US appeals court has stayed a Wisconsin federal judge's ruling which carved out an exception to a Wisconsin law requiring all voters to show photo IDs at the polls. The appeals court claims the lower district court's decision is likely to be reversed on appeal. U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman issued a preliminary injunction last month allowing people who haven't been able to obtain IDs to vote in the Nov. 8 general election if they sign an affidavit stating why they couldn't get identification. The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty asked for the injunction in June. State attorneys said they would file with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago when Adelman refused to stay the July order. Adelman previously said the injunction doesn't block anyone from challenging a voter's identity and some safety net must exist to protect the rights of voters who lack photo ID.
In staying Adelman's ruling, the court of appeals concluded, "both that the district court's decision is likely to be reversed on appeal and that disruption of the state's electoral system in the interim will cause irreparable injury."