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Try CasePortal for FreeJ. Webster denies two voting rights organizations their motion for summary judgment after the state board of elections passed a bill upholding an old statute that the organizations say is racist. They argue that the statute violates equal protection rights because it was initially written in 1877 to be racially discriminatory toward the voting populace and that since then, the statute’s discrimination has not fundamentally changed. They argue that this law continues to disproportionately effect Black voters and that it also violates due process. A bill from 2023 altered the statute to include a scienter requirement, meaning only people charged with felonies who vote knowing they have violated the statute can be prosecuted, but the organizations say this does little to change their stance. However, because anyone who votes inappropriately but doesn’t know that they have done so will not be considered to have broken the voting law, the organizations’ motion for summary judgment is denied as moot.