People in Politics October 5, 2013 Print
People In Politics
Friday, 04 October 2013 11:04

 

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This week we have full coverage of the legal debate over North Carolina’s new voter I.D. law. On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against North Carolina, alleging the law intentionally discriminates against minorities and is designed to keep minorities from the polls. You’ll hear Holder’s stinging allegations. It didn’t take long for Gov. Pat McCrory to respond to Holder’s suit and comments. You’ll hear the governor’s defense of the law and his description of the federal lawsuit as “an overreach and without merit.” Others reacted swiftly to Holder’s allegations as well. You’ll hear comments from the North Carolina NAACP’s Rev. William Barber, who defended the suit and alleges a southern strategy of disenfranchising minority voters. That’s followed by comments from North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Claude Pope, who says the suit is a political stunt. Also at issue in the legal battle is whether or not North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper can be relied upon to defend the state against the feds. Cooper has openly opposed the election reforms passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, and he’s sounding more and more like a candidate for governor himself. In comments made earlier this year, Cooper says he and his office are professionals and can be counted on to perform their duties. Still, Gov. McCrory’s office has hired outside counsel to ensure the state has a vigorous defense. You’ll hear Gov. McCrory’s Chief Legal Counsel, Bob Stephens, explain his concerns and why he recommended that the governor hire outside assistance. So what have the courts said about voter I.D. laws? To find out, we revisit a February debate over the pros and cons of requiring a photo I.D. to vote. Panelists speaking in opposition to the idea are Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina and Allison Riggs of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Speaking in favor of the requirement are John Fund of National Review and Hans van Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation. And finally, the politics of government shutdown were on full display during the week in the nation’s capital. U.S. Senator Kay Hagan talks about the shutdown and the fight over spending.