North Carolina Judge Upholds Photo Voter ID Mandate

Federal judge rules law is constitutional despite civil rights groups' claims of discriminatory intent

Mar. 27, 2026 at 3:18am

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A federal judge in North Carolina has upheld the state's photo voter identification law, rejecting arguments from civil rights groups that the requirement was enacted with discriminatory intent against Black and Latino voters. The ruling is a major victory for Republican legislative leaders who passed the law in 2018, just weeks after voters approved a constitutional amendment backing the idea.

Why it matters

The decision preserves North Carolina's voter ID law, which has been a contentious issue in the state. Civil rights groups argued the law was designed to suppress minority turnout, while Republican lawmakers defended it as a way to build voter confidence and prevent fraud, despite evidence of widespread voter identity fraud being rare.

The details

U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs ruled that while the law's burden fell more heavily on racial minority voters, court precedents required her to give deference to the state's claim that the law was enacted in good faith. The state NAACP had sued, alleging the ID requirement violated the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act, but Biggs said the law's broad range of acceptable IDs undercut claims of discriminatory intent.

  • The 2018 voter ID law has been in effect since the 2023 municipal elections, after the state Supreme Court upheld it in a separate lawsuit.
  • The March 3 primary was the first statewide election held under the 2018 law, with nearly all results certified on Wednesday.

The players

Phil Berger

North Carolina state Senate leader, who said the judge's decision puts to rest any doubt about the constitutionality of the state's voter ID law.

Deborah Dicks Maxwell

President of the North Carolina NAACP, who called the ruling "deeply disappointing and ignores the real and documented barriers" that voter ID laws pose for certain voters.

Loretta Biggs

U.S. District Judge who was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama and presided over the non-jury trial in the NAACP's lawsuit.

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What they’re saying

“we can put to rest any doubt that our state's Voter I.D. law is constitutional.”

— Phil Berger, North Carolina state Senate leader

“deeply disappointing and ignores the real and documented barriers' that voter ID laws have on certain voters.”

— Deborah Dicks Maxwell, President, North Carolina NAACP

What’s next

No decision has been made on whether the NAACP will appeal the ruling.

The takeaway

The judge's decision upholds North Carolina's voter ID law, which has been a contentious issue in the state, with civil rights groups arguing it was designed to suppress minority turnout and Republican lawmakers defending it as a way to build voter confidence and prevent fraud.