Judge: no quick trial on NC voter laws [View all]

[octoberlib]

A federal judge has ruled there will be no trial on North Carolina's Republican-backed voting law changes until after the 2014 elections, though she signaled motions will be considered to bar the measures from taking effect until the case is resolved.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joi Peake said Thursday the issues raised in the three lawsuits challenging the new law are too complicated to be resolved before next year's elections. Peake set a bench trial for July 2015.

Peake added that the court will hear requests this summer for an injunction to block some or all of the new law's provisions from taking effect until after the trial.``I'm concerned there would be insufficient time for the plaintiffs to get the discovery they need,'' Peake said.

The U.S. Justice Department, the state chapter of the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters and other groups have sued Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Board of Elections over the voting changes. Those separate cases will likely be consolidated at trial in front of U.S. District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder, who was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush.

http://news.wbt.com/newsroom/article.cfm?id=104012C6-09A9-45C6-90926F0C8C3E9D8E&code=1110

"who was appointed to the federal bench by George W. Bush. " Fuck.