Supreme Court Allows New Hampshire Ban on Student IDs for Voting

The United States Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to grant an emergency request allowing New Hampshire to prohibit voters from using student identification cards for voting in the November midterm elections, UPI and the Washington Examiner reported. The unsigned order from the court reversed a lower federal judge's ruling that had blocked the state from enforcing the ban, according to the Washington Examiner and MSNBC. [1][2][4]

UPI reported that the emergency request by New Hampshire was supported by the Republican National Committee. The high court stated in its brief order that the federal district court judge should not have ordered voting rule changes so close to the election, according to UPI and MSNBC. The ruling is considered a victory for New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan, a Republican, the Washington Examiner reported. [1][2][4]

UPI reported that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenting justice. Justice Jackson wrote that she would not disturb a federal court order designed to ensure voters are protected, according to UPI. Challengers of the legislation previously argued that the state law prohibiting student identification was unnecessary, MSNBC reported. [1][4]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the New Hampshire state legislature originally passed the law barring student IDs for voting in April. The state law remained active through the primary elections in September before a federal district court issued a late block against it, according to the Washington Examiner and FTMQ News archive records. [2][15]