Daily Docket — Friday, March 17

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Here are some updates from today.

March For Our Lives Idaho and a young Idahoan filed a lawsuit against Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane (R) challenging House Bill 124, a newly enacted law that eliminates the use of a student ID as an acceptable form of identification for in-person voting. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed H.B. 124 into law on Wednesday.

A three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals allowed certain claims in a lawsuit against voter suppression law House Bill 2183 to move forward. Today’s decision concerns two of the three challenged provisions, including a ballot collection restriction and signature verification requirement.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) announced his intention to withdraw Ohio from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit organization that allows states to share information to help maintain accurate voter rolls. Several other Republican states have also left ERIC in the last month.

Here are some updates from the last few days.

Yesterday, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced S. 858, the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, a bill to televise U.S. Supreme Court proceedings in real time. The duo has also introduced S. 833, the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, which would extend press coverage in federal court proceedings beyond the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Alabama’s absentee voting system is inaccessible for blind voters and voters with print disabilities. The judge ruled that the group that brought the lawsuit lacked standing.

On Tuesday, a right-wing legal group filed a lawsuit challenging a law that allows noncitizen residents of Washington, D.C. to vote in local elections. The plaintiffs allege the law “dilutes the vote of every U.S. citizen voter in the District” in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Here’s what to expect coming up.

Next week will begin with all eyes on the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, the Court will release orders in pending cases. We’re waiting on two cases, one involving congressional redistricting in Ohio and the other about felony disenfranchisement in Mississippi. Supplementary briefing on the landmark case Moore v. Harper is also due to the Court that day.

Additionally, on Tuesday, March 21, the Court will release decisions in pending cases. The Court could announce opinions in any of the cases that have already been argued, including the major voting rights cases Merrill v. Milligan and Moore v. Harper.

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A new episode of Defending Democracy dropped today! In today’s episode, Marc and Paige are joined by Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler to discuss what’s at stake in the April 4 state Supreme Court election. Listen now.

Can’t get enough news? You can always find more details about these updates on our News Alerts page.

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