U.S. Supreme Court Throws Out Arizona Voter Citizenship Law: A Look at the Effect in Georgia
On Monday, June 17, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out an Arizona law, which requires prospective voters to show additional proofs of citizenship when they take an oath that they are citizens. That oath is part of the Federal rules for voter registration for Federal elections (Senate and House of Representatives, for instance). But, in a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court found Arizona could not impose additional requirements beyond what Federal law provides.
Georgia has a proof-of-citizenship law similar to Arizona’s. To get an idea of how the high court ruling will affect Georgia, WABE’s Denis O’Hayer spoke with Atlanta attorney Emmet Bondurant, who has brought numerous lawsuits against Georgia’s voter I.D. laws. Bondurant said the ruling may keep the state from enforcing the requirements for now, but the state has some options that could keep the battle going.
(Note: Secretary of State Brian Kemp issued a statement, which is heard during the Bondurant interview. But Kemp’s office declined an interview request, at least for now. Attorney General Sam Olens’s office also sent a statement, expressing disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling. But the statement said Olens would leave any further comment to the Secretary of State. The Governor’s office said it would defer to the Attorney General.)
Broadcast VersionExpanded Version
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
Top Stories
