BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows Virginia to engage in a late voter-purge program that two lower courts held is likely illegal under federal law. The Republican appointees did so over the objection of the Democratic appointees.
Background: https://www.lawdork.com/p/virginia-doesnt-care-if-its-late
Virginia doesn't care if its late voter-purge program cancels legal voter registrations
A federal judge stopped the program on Friday, but Virginia is asking the Fourth Circuit to let them keep it going — with a promise of a SCOTUS request if needed.
Both the district court and appeals court gave reasons for their decision. Today’s Supreme Court decision, technically staying the injunction pending Virginia’s appeal of the case, contains no explanation of why the justices took this action.
This is a disturbing shadow docket decision, up there with the 2021 shadow docket decision allowing Texas’s S.B. 8 vigilante abortion law to go into effect despite Roe.
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Important note from one of the lawyers representing the nonprofit organizations that sued: There is same-day registration in Virginia, so, know what you need to bring with you, but even purged legal voters should be able to vote if they realize they were improperly purged.
Chris Geidner
Democracy Matters 