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 The groups protesting the state's new law will have a chance,
however, to argue for some of its provisions to be blocked before
the full case is heard, Magistrate Judge Joi Elizabeth Peake said at
a hearing in Winston-Salem.
The law's opponents had sought a quicker resolution to the legal
battle. A trial ahead of next November's elections would help
prevent "irreparable loss" for some voters, said an attorney for the
state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People.
"It's going to determine whether people actually have the right to
vote," said NAACP lawyer Daniel Donovan. "The clock is ticking."
Despite being on opposite sides of the case, attorneys for both the
state and federal government asked for the trial to be held in 2015,
saying the complex and data-intensive nature of the case required
more time to prepare.
The state takes seriously any potential infringement of voting
rights but also the right for laws passed by elected leaders to be
put into effect, said Senior Deputy Attorney General Alexander
Peters.
Republican Governor Pat McCrory signed North Carolina's sweeping
voting changes into law in August, prompting a flurry of lawsuits by
various parties, including the U.S. Justice Department, the League
of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP.
The law's critics argue that reducing early voting days, eliminating
same-day registration and imposing a photo-identification
requirement for in-person voting make it harder for minorities and
others who are likely to vote for Democratic candidates to cast
their ballots.
In its suit, the Justice Department said black residents comprised
23 percent of North Carolina's registered voters but accounted for
34 percent of registered voters who did not have a driver's license
or other ID provided by the state's motor vehicles department.
Republican lawmakers said the changes were needed to combat voter
fraud.
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The law takes effect on January 1, though the photo ID requirement
does not begin until 2016.
In a statement after the hearing, McCrory noted that members of the
public were required to present a photo ID in order to enter the
federal courthouse.
"This presents the strongest case yet that requiring a photo ID to
vote is common sense, even for Washington lawyers and liberal
activists — and this argument will be upheld regardless of the trial
date," the governor said.
The judge said the groups challenging the law could pursue legal
action that likely would result in a hearing next summer to
determine if parts of the law should be temporarily blocked.
A full trial would be held during the summer of 2015 at the
earliest.
Democratic U.S. Senator Kay Hagan is among those up for re-election
in North Carolina in 2014. The outcome of her race could help
determine whether Republicans or Democrats hold a majority in the
U.S. Senate for the last two years of President Barack Obama's final
term.
Thursday's hearing drew several dozen people who said they oppose
the new voting provisions and believe the legal limbo will confuse
voters.
"This is not about just black and white," said the Reverend William
Barber II, president of the state's NAACP chapter. "It's about
fundamental democracy."
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; editing by Scott Malone and Dan Grebler)
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