Richard Wolf USA TODAY Published 9:39 p.m. UTC Jun 11, 2018 WASHINGTON – Failing to vote can lead to getting knocked off voter registration rolls, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that probably will help Republicans and hurt Democrats. The court's conservative majority ruled 5-4 that Ohio did not violate federal laws by purging voters who failed to vote for six years and did not confirm their residency. Ohio has the strictest such law in the nation. The ruling protects similar laws in six states, including several electing governors or U.S. senators this fall. They are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Montana. Civil rights groups challenged Ohio's procedure for cleaning up voter registration rolls, arguing that it disproportionately affects minorities, the poor and people with disabilities. The Trump administration reversed the position taken by its predecessor and sided with Ohio. … [Read more...] about Supreme Court says states can remove voters who skip elections, ignore warnings
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Supreme Court says states can remove voters from rolls for skipping elections, ignoring warnings
Richard Wolf USA TODAY Published 5:45 p.m. UTC Jun 11, 2018 WASHINGTON -- Failing to vote can lead to getting knocked off voter registration rolls, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that likely will help Republicans and hurt Democrats. The court's conservative majority ruled 5-4 that Ohio did not violate federal laws by purging voters who failed to vote for six years and did not confirm their residency -- considered the strictest such law in the nation. The ruling protects similar laws in six states, including several electing governors or U.S. senators this fall. They are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Montana. Civil rights groups had challenged Ohio's procedure for cleaning up voter registration rolls because it disproportionately affects minorities, the poor and people with disabilities. But the court's conservative majority said the state does not violate federal laws. Justice Samuel Alito noted right … [Read more...] about Supreme Court says states can remove voters from rolls for skipping elections, ignoring warnings
Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Voting Rights and Invites More States to Purge Their Rolls
Protestors gathered outside the Supreme Court in January to show opposition to Ohio's policy for purging voter rolls.Jacquelyn Martin/AP Looking for news you can trust?Subscribe to our free newsletters. The Supreme Court dealt a big blow to voting rights on Monday in a decision that is likely to green-light aggressive purging of voter rolls across the country. The case originated in Ohio, where the Republican secretary of state manages an aggressive program of removing infrequent voters from the rolls. The effect of this effort is that thousands of eligible voters are removed from the rolls, and strong evidence suggests that the policy causes minorities in heavily Democratic areas to be purged disproportionately. People who are removed are not informed, so they’re often unable to re-register before an election takes place and lose their ability to vote. The case hinged on interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), a 1993 civil rights … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Voting Rights and Invites More States to Purge Their Rolls
Supreme Court: States can purge voters who don’t vote or respond to warnings
Richard Wolf USA TODAY Published 4:40 p.m. UTC Jun 11, 2018 WASHINGTON -- Failing to vote can lead to getting knocked off voter registration rolls, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that likely will help Republicans and harm Democrats. The court's conservative majority ruled 5-4 that Ohio did not violate federal laws by purging voters who don't vote and fail to return notices confirming their residency. Civil rights groups had challenged the state for having the strictest method of purging voters in the nation. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, noting right off the bat that an estimated one in eight voter registrations in the United States are invalid or inaccurate. He said failing to vote cannot be the sole reason for purging voters but noted that Ohio "removes registrants only if they have failed to vote and have failed to respond to a notice." "A state violates the failure-to-vote clause only if it removes … [Read more...] about Supreme Court: States can purge voters who don’t vote or respond to warnings
The Supreme Court Punts on Cakes for Same-Sex Couples
The Supreme Court has just issued its much-anticipated opinion in Masterpiece Cake Shop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The outcome was expected to be closely divided, but the decision was a surprisingly lopsided 7-2 vote in favor of Jack Phillips, the baker who’d refused to create a cake for a same-sex couple. Yet, because of the very specific, not-likely-to-be-repeated basis on which Justice Anthony Kennedy resolved the case, it didn’t end being the blockbuster resolution of the LGBTQ rights/freedom of expression conflict most people were expecting. Instead, the decision is like that infamous cake “left out in the rain” in MacArthur Park – a shapeless thing that neither side will find appetizing. Yet there are pieces of Masterpiece Cake Shop that reward a close examination. Let’s recap: In 2012, Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins visited Phillips’s shop in order to discuss a cake they wanted him to create for their upcoming wedding. … [Read more...] about The Supreme Court Punts on Cakes for Same-Sex Couples