Paul, Weiss and Co-counsel Win Appeal Preliminarily Enjoining North Carolina Voter ID Law

In a significant voting rights victory, Paul, Weiss and co-counsel the Southern Coalition for Social Justice won an appeal preventing North Carolina from enforcing a 2018 voter ID law until a trial on the merits of the case is concluded.

The complaint, filed on behalf of five voters in the state, alleges that the voter ID law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the North Carolina Constitution because it intentionally discriminates against African-American voters. A three-judge trial court panel ruled in 2019 that the plaintiffs had adequately alleged that the voter ID law was unconstitutional, but denied their motion for a preliminary injunction. In its decision, the North Carolina Court of Appeals unanimously reversed that decision, holding that the plaintiffs have “shown a clear likelihood of success on the merits” of their intentional discrimination claim, and ordered the trial court to enjoin the law until a trial is concluded.

The Paul, Weiss team, led by litigation associates Paul Brachman and Jessica Morton, and supervised by litigation partners Andrew Ehrlich and Jane O’Brien, includes associates Ethan Merel, Benjamin Symons, Laura Cox, Apeksha Vora, Ryan Rizzuto and Amanda Valerio; paralegals Candice Johnson, Christian Mesa, Maxwell Petrie and Jane Yang; and e-discovery project manager Elisabeth Stuveras.