skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, February 17, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

At Least 11 Dead After Severe Flooding Sweeps The South; Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power; Abandoned Mine Land program frozen as Appalachia faces severe flooding; Solar power gives MN resort new blood, new life.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Top Trump officials set to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia over the Ukraine war. The GOP budget resolution is at risk as moderates weigh out consequences. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he's "going nowhere."

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Court Date Set, Injunction Sought in PA Voter ID Law Case

play audio
Play

Friday, September 21, 2012   

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A court date has been set for Tues., Sept. 25, when a Commonwealth Court judge will hear from witnesses who say they've had trouble getting a new, state-issued form of identification to be used for voting only. The move comes after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court told Judge Robert Simpson this week that the law must be put on hold if there's any question about voters getting these new ID cards.

Vic Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania, says the ruling shifts the burden of proof in the case.

"We don't have to go in and demonstrate that our folks are not going to be able to vote. The Commonwealth has to come in and demonstrate that all voters are going to have voter ID, or valid ID, on Election Day."

Plaintiffs' attorney David Gersch argued the case before the high court, and says time remains a crucial factor.

"The Commonwealth is going to have trouble, no matter what. It's a very high standard that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has imposed – and correctly so, given how few days are remaining before the election."

Walczak believes the ruling pressures the Commonwealth Court to recognize that the situation is too unstable with so much at stake.

"The court cannot now just rely on government officials' assurances. That's not enough."

Those in favor of the Voter ID law say it will protect integrity at the polls.

The ACLU and other groups also are asking Judge Simpson to issue a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the law without an evidentiary hearing. The groups claim the state can't possibly assure that some eligible residents won't be disenfranchised by the law on Election Day.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Data from Penn Medicine finds as of January 2024, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. have received CAR T-cell therapy since it was approved for use in 2017. (Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Some New York doctors are working on new ways to treat advanced cancers. Chimeric Antigen Receptor, or CAR, T-cell therapy treats certain blood …


Health and Wellness

play sound

The incidence of drug overdose is decreasing in Indiana and one reason could be the efforts of an organization offering free training to anyone willin…

Environment

play sound

Wyoming is one of several Western states where some lawmakers arguing states should have more control of the federally managed public lands within the…


Environment

play sound

By Amy McDermott for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for for California News Service reporting…

Libraries are tailored to their local communities, Varga says, such as a local library in Virginia Beach offering surfboard rentals. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

February is Library Lovers Month - and libraries across the Commonwealth are encouraging their long-time and new patrons to celebrate. Lisa Varga…

Social Issues

play sound

According to the Immigration Policy Tracking Project, the Trump administration has taken 130 actions on immigration so far this term. Groups in …

Environment

play sound

A Utah legislator has introduced a bill to increase transparency for consumers in the Beehive State when purchasing cultivated meat products…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021