For Immediate Release:
February 21, 2017
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
(RALEIGH, NC) Attorney General Josh Stein today moved to dismiss the pending petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on the voting law passed in 2013.
“The right to vote is our most fundamental right,” said AG Stein. “Voting is how people hold their government accountable. I support efforts to guarantee fair and honest elections, but those efforts should not be used as an excuse to make it harder for people to vote.”
In addition to protecting voting rights for North Carolinians, AG Stein’s action seeks to save the state up to $12 million in potential liability. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs have agreed to waive up to $12 million of legal fees from the more than three-year litigation if the petition is dismissed and the litigation ends.
Background on this case:
· After the 2013 law was enacted, a unanimous panel of judges of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck it down, writing that “the new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
· Shortly before he left office, Gov. Pat McCrory filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Fourth Circuit Court’s ruling.
· AG Stein’s action today moved to dismiss that petition, which if granted would mean that the Fourth Circuit Court’s ruling against the legislation would be final.
· For more information on this case please view the attached fact sheet.