Oral arguments scheduled in voter ID case

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Sept. 12 on whether Wisconsin’s voter ID law is constitutional.

A three-judge panel then will decide whether to uphold or overturn Eastern District of Wisconsin Judge Lynn Adelman’s ruling that struck down the law in May.

According to the notice for oral argument, each side will have up to 30 minutes to argue their case.

The oral arguments come after a pair of Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings that upheld the law. One ruling said it was not fair, however, to require voters who do not have a government-issued ID to have to pay to obtain one, and it laid the groundwork for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to give exceptions to potential voters who qualify for a payment waiver.

Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen previously tried to put Adelman’s ruling on hold pending the appellate court’s decision, but the judges denied his request. The hope was to have the law in effect for November’s elections.