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The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a case on whether Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have the right to defend the state's photo identification voter law.
State of play: The North Carolina state legislature had submitted a request to have the court review a decision from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that said lawmakers could not intervene in a lawsuit brought by the NAACP against the state's voter ID law.
- The lawmakers argue that the North Carolina governor and the attorney general, both Democrats, are not doing enough to defend the law.
- North Carolina Attorney General Joshua Stein asked the court to not take the case because the state is "already actively defending the challenged law." They mention the appeals court's decision, which stated that state officials — the North Carolina State Board of Elections — are already "adequately" representing their concerns.
Catch up quick: North Carolina Senate Bill 824 requires that people show a photo ID to be able to vote. The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP challenged the law, saying that it was racist, per CNN.
Worth noting: The court will not deliver a ruling on the validity of the voter law.
Between the lines: In September, North Carolina judges ruled that the state's law is racially biased and discriminates against Black voters, violating their equal protections.