MILWAUKEE

Federal judge strikes down voter identification law

A federal judge struck down Wisconsin’s voter identification law Tuesday, declaring that a requirement that voters show a state-issued photo ID at the polls imposes an unfair burden on poor and minority voters.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman sided with opponents of the law, who argued that low-income and minority voters aren’t as likely to have photo IDs or the documents needed to get them.

Adelman said the law violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. He also said the law appeared too flawed to fix with legislative amendments.

Adelman’s decision invalidates Wisconsin’s law and means voter ID likely won’t be in place for the fall elections, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker faces re-election. While Walker committed last month to calling a special legislative session if the law were struck down in court, his spokeswoman wouldn’t commit to that Tuesday.

The ruling could set a precedent for similar legal challenges in Texas, North Carolina and elsewhere.

BISMARCK, N.D.

White supremacist gets probation, no more jail time

A North Dakota judge sentenced a white supremacist Tuesday to four years of probation but no additional jail time for terrorizing residents of the small community of Leith, where he tried unsuccessfully to establish an all-white enclave and has left behind a legacy of fear.

Craig Cobb, 62, had been jailed since mid-November when he was arrested on seven felony terrorizing counts for scaring residents while patrolling Leith with a gun. The Mercer County Jail confirmed that Cobb was freed later Tuesday – a reality that scares officials in Leith.

“Now we’ve got this lunatic out on the street again,” City Councilman Lee Cook said after the sentencing.

– From news service reports

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