Federal Judge Requests More Evidence in Preliminary Injunction Hearing Against NC's Voting Law

A federal judge in Winston-Salem will decide whether or not North Carolina's voting law will apply to the 2014 November General Election.

The preliminary injunction hearing challenging North Carolina's voting law ended Thursday afternoon, July 10. The plaintiffs include; The U.S. Department of Justice, the state's NAACP and ACLU chapters, the League of Women Voters, The Advancement Project, churches and a group of college students. All week in a Winston-Salem Federal courtroom, they've put on a range of witnesses. Some gave expert testimony that the current law restricts access to the polls for African Americans. Others, like 93-year-old Rosanell Eaton, gave personal accounts of being forced to pass various literacy tests and pay poll taxes in order to vote in North Carolina. Opponents hope to stop the state law from being used during the 2014 November General Election. They argue it discriminates against minorities and reduces access to the polls for the elderly, teenagers and low-income residents. But the state contends changes in the law create a fair system that will prevent fraud.

In a partnership between WFDD and the Winston-Salem Journal, legal affairs reporter Michael Hewlett is covering the proceedings with updates during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Thursday, July 10, Hewlett told WFDD's Kathryn Mobley that during closing arguments, Judge Thomas Schroeder had questions for both sides.