ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Action on Kansas Voting Lawsuit

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will not review a ruling that concluded a Kansas voting law crafted by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was unconstitutional and violated the National Voter Registration Act, commonly referred to as the “motor-voter law.” The case is Schwab v. Fish.

A federal court struck down the law in 2018. That ruling was upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year. Kansas appealed to the Supreme Court.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Dechert LLP had challenged the law on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Kansas and individual Kansans.

The law illegally mandated documentary proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate or passport) to register to vote, and blocked more than 30,000 Kansans from registering to vote.

Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, argued the case and had this reaction to today’s Supreme Court action:

“Tens of thousands of Kansas voters were illegally denied the most fundamental right in our democracy because of this law. The Supreme Court’s decision not to review the case will finally close this chapter on Kris Kobach’s sorry legacy of voter suppression.”

Order: https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/121420zor_8n59.pdf

Statement: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-comment-supreme-court-action-kansas-voting-lawsuit

Case details: https://www.aclu.org/cases/fish-v-schwab-formerly-fish-v-kobach