The move comes after a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday granted a
request by the state to stay a lower court decision that struck down
the law, meaning the measure will be in effect for the November
elections.
The decision, published early on Saturday morning, was unsigned and
did not provide a supporting legal argument. Justice Ginsburg,
joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan from the court's liberal
wing, penned a six-page dissent.
"The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case
is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one
that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying
the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters,"
Ginsburg wrote.
Last Thursday, a federal judge overturned the law, arguing it
discriminated against Hispanics and African-Americans and impinged
on their right to vote.
On Tuesday, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
granted a request filed by the state asking for that ruling to be
put on hold pending appeal.
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The law is one of a series enacted in mostly Republican-governed
states requiring voters to show certain forms of identification
before being allowed to vote.
Republicans say the measures are intended to curb voter fraud.
Democrats argue the laws are designed to reduce the turnout of
certain groups of voters including minorities who tend to vote for
Democratic candidates.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Mark
Potter, Larry King)
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