A three-judge panel in North Carolina heard arguments for and against ending a legal challenge to two state constitutional amendments, one requiring voter photo identification and the other lowering the income tax cap. The panel did not issue a decision or provide a timeline for a ruling. State legislative leaders are seeking to end the case, while the NAACP wants it to move forward with a discovery phase. The case is based on the premise that the amendments were approved by a General Assembly elected with racially gerrymandered maps. Plaintiffs argue that the amendments harm Black voters. The panel will meet at a later date to further discuss the case. The case is connected to the state Supreme Court’s 2022 decision, with lawmakers looking to uphold the amendments despite challengers seeking to have them invalidated. The case is a subject of the John Locke Foundation’s “Extreme Injustice” podcast and has been the center of legal battles for six years. The panel’s decision on whether to continue the case or end it will impact the voter ID requirement and the state income tax cap in North Carolina.
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