Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP v. Walker
Wisconsin Supreme Court
851 N.W.2d 262 (2014)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
A Wisconsin law required voters to show photo identification prior to voting. The Milwaukee Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP) (plaintiff) challenged the law under the Wisconsin Constitution, claiming that the burdens associated with the law on qualified voters, including time, inconvenience, and costs, were not reasonably related to any important government interests. The law prohibited the state Department of Transportation (DOT) from charging for a photo identification if the applicant noted that the purpose of the identification was voting. However, the NAACP argued that other government agencies charged for the documents—such as birth certificates—that were needed for a photo identification from the DOT. Under DOT regulations, a DOT administrator had the discretion to excuse required documents if the requested DOT photo identification was for voting purposes.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Roggensack, J.)
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