As PFAWF has previously noted on Court Watch, the Supreme Court this term will be hearing an important case challenging the constitutionality of Indiana’s restrictive voter ID law, which unnecessarily burdens the rights of eligible voters, particularly minorities, the elderly, students, women, and the poor, without justification. On November 13, PFAWF joined other civil rights organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court in support of those challenging this law.

Specifically, our brief, which can be found here, explains that the only type of alleged fraud that is addressed by restrictive photo ID laws such as Indiana’s — voter impersonation fraud at the polls — is virtually non-existent. Meanwhile, while these laws purport to address a problem that does not really exist, they disenfranchise millions of voters nationwide who do not have one of the handful of types of government-issued photo ID; moreover, those most likely to be disenfranchised are those who have been traditionally most marginalized by our democratic process.

The Court is expected to hear oral argument in the case early in 2008, with a decision likely by the end of June.