Federal courts have reined in strict voter ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin, while a legal battle in North Carolina continues to rage over its election rules.

Wisconsin residents who can't obtain photo identification will still be able to vote in November's general election, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, carving out an exception to a state law that requires all voters to show photo IDs at the polls.

A federal judge said Thursday that opponents of more than a dozen new Wisconsin election laws had made a "pretty decent case" that Republicans approved them to secure a partisan advantage, but added he isn't convinced the measures actually had a dramatic effect.

Groups advocating for voting rights have filed a motion in federal court asking that Wisconsin voters having trouble obtaining the required photo identification be able to cast ballots anyhow.

A federal judge will not put a lawsuit over Wisconsin's voter identification law on hold while another similar challenge is pending in a different court.

Those challenging Wisconsin's voter identification law in federal court say they will soon be asking that people having trouble getting the required ID be allowed to vote in the August primary.

There will be no change to Wisconsin's voting laws before the Aug. 9 primary, including the requirement that photo identification be shown at the polls, a federal judge hearing a challenge to more than a dozen election laws said Thursday.

The defense of Wisconsin voting laws being challenged in federal court as discriminatory begins with local clerks saying they haven't encountered any serious problems with the changes.

Senate Republicans were "giddy" about tightening voting rules in Wisconsin during a closed-door meeting in 2011, a former GOP staffer testified in federal court this week.

Wisconsin Republicans were "giddy" about a voter identification requirement enacted in 2011 that they saw as an opportunity to drive down Democratic turnout at the polls, a former chief of staff to a GOP state senator testified Monday in a federal trial targeting that law and others.

A federal judge is set to weigh whether a host of changes that Republican legislators have made to Wisconsin's voting laws illegally burden minority and Democratic-leaning voters.

People working to obtain state photo identification without having the proper underlying documents will be able to vote with a receipt they'll receive within days of submitting their ID request under an emergency rule Gov. Scott Walker signed Wednesday.

Advocacy groups and Milwaukee officials are exploring new ways to provide local photo IDs to the homeless and immigrants in the country illegally after Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill hindering their current effort Monday.

A judge must consider whether Wisconsin's voter photo identification law applies to people who face daunting obstacles in obtaining identification, a three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman sparked a social media fight by telling a Milwaukee TV station that Wisconsin's newly enacted voter ID law will help the GOP's eventual nominee win the White House.

A Wisconsin Supreme Court justice says her uncle was unable to vote in last week's primary election, even though he has a veteran's ID from his service in World War II.

The Wisconsin Senate has passed a bill that would stall Milwaukee's efforts to provide local photo IDs to the homeless, immigrants in the country illegally and others who have difficulty obtaining state IDs.

A photo ID is required to vote in the Wisconsin primary.

Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board is pushing to inform people about new voter photo ID requirements with two weeks left before the spring primary.

Wisconsin's requirement that voters show photo identification at the polls has survived another legal challenge after a federal judge Thursday dismissed portions of a wide-ranging lawsuit alleging the mandate burdens the right to vote.

A federal judge has denied a civil rights group's request to let voters use more forms of photo identification at the polls.

Opponents of Wisconsin's voter identification law argued in federal court Monday that the legislation is improperly restrictive and should be expanded to allow people to use more forms of ID.

A liberal group and a voting rights organization have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a host of changes Republicans have made to Wisconsin's election laws, alleging the provisions burden black people, Latinos and Democratic-leaning voters.

With two special elections looming next month and one to fill a vacancy in the state Senate coming later this year, opponents of Wisconsin's new voter identification law want a federal court to expand the number of IDs that voters can show at the polls.

A federal appeals court says that since Wisconsin does not plan to enforce a photo identification requirement for the April 7 election, it does not need to consider extending a judicial block to the law.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel is telling a federal appeals court that he does not want the state's voter identification law to take effect until after the April 7 election.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge to Wisconsin's voter identification law, allowing the law to stand and handing a victory to Gov. Scott Walker following a long fight by opponents who say it's a thinly veiled attempt to make it more difficult for Democratic backers to vote.

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal appeals court to block implementation of Wisconsin's voter identification law for an election that's less than two weeks away.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is trying to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to stay out of the state's voter photo identification case.

Wisconsin election board officials told the Legislature's audit committee Wednesday that they have been struggling with an unprecedented workload as they worked to blunt a critical evaluation of their performance and save their agency from the chopping block.