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 The nine-justice court, with three conservative members
dissenting, granted a last-minute request by civil rights groups
seeking to block an appeals court ruling that the law could be
implemented.
The ruling comes on the same day a federal judge struck down a Texas
law requiring voters to show identification at polls, saying it
placed an unconstitutional burden on voters and discriminated
against minorities.
The Supreme Court's action means the Wisconsin law, which requires
voters to present photo identification when they cast ballots, will
not be in effect in the lead-up to the November elections.
"Today's order puts the brakes on the last-minute disruption and
voter chaos created by this law going into effect so close to the
election," Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union
Voting Rights Project, said in a statement.
The ACLU and other groups said the law would sow confusion at the
polls and reduce votes.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote a brief dissenting opinion, which was
joined by fellow conservatives Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
He wrote that although it was "particularly troubling" that absentee
ballots had been sent out before the November election without
notifying voters of the identification requirements, there was still
no legal justification for blocking the law.
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said in a statement he
would explore alternatives to address the court's concerns regarding
absentee ballots.
"I believe the voter ID law is constitutional, and nothing in the
Court's order suggests otherwise," he said.
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Wisconsin's is one of several similar voter ID rules that have
become a political and racial flashpoint across the United States.
Wisconsin and other states have argued they need such rules to
prevent voter fraud.
A federal judge enjoined the state's voter ID law in March 2012 soon
after it took effect and entered a permanent injunction in April,
finding it would deter or prevent a substantial number of voters who
lack photo identification from casting ballots, and place an
unnecessary burden on the poor and minorities.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the decision and
subsequently ruled on Monday that the law was constitutional.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court upheld the voter ID law in a separate
ruling.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley, Additional reporting by Brendan
O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Peter Cooney, Dan Whitcomb and
Clarence Fernandez)
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