PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Editorial: In asking a lower court to reconsider its ruling that Pennsylvania’s voter-ID law won’t disenfranchise thousands of voters, the state Supreme Court seems to be saying it doesn’t agree with that assessment. But if that is the case, the court should have dispensed with the Kabuki theatre and forthrightly called the law what it is – an affront to democracy.
Instead, it sent the case back to Commonwealth Court Judge Robert E. Simpson Jr., further delaying justice, if it is to occur. Simpson must rule by Oct. 2, cutting it close if the ID law remains in effect for the Nov. 6 election. That means civic and other groups can’t slow down their efforts to make sure that as many voters as possible have the proper identification to vote, whether it’s needed in the end or not.
By punting the case back to Simpson Tuesday, the Supreme Court merely added to the confusion that may discourage potential voters from even trying, which is a more subtle form of disenfranchisement… (more)
