Voter-ID law ruling reaffirmed

HARRISBURG

- A state judge yesterday reaffirmed his ruling that Pennsylvania's embattled voter-identification law is unconstitutional.

Commonwealth Judge Bernard McGinley rejected the state's motion to reinstate the law, starting a 30-day period for a potential appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The governor's Office of General Counsel and the Attorney General's Office say they're reviewing McGinley's decision.

Witold Walczak, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said the permanent injunction McGinley issued bars enforcement of the law unless the state's high court changes that. The ACLU helped lead the legal challenge.

The law is one of the nation's strictest and required nearly all of Pennsylvania's 8.2 million voters to display photo identification. Republicans passed it in 2012 over the protests of every Democratic lawmaker.

The law was never enforced, pending resolution of the court challenge.