The state’s voter law has been struck down by a federal judge, and the man who championed it — current Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach — has to attend legal education classes on rules of procedure or evidence as part of the decision.
Judge Julie Robinson put an end to the state’s requirement that people must have proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, saying the law “only nominally” prevents voter registration by non-citizens while at the same time “disproportionately” impacting qualified voters.
Robinson ordered Kobach to inform all state and county election officers that voter registration applicants do not need proof of citizenship when they register. She also ordered Kobach to attend six hours of continuing legal education on top of the hours he needs to keep his law license after faulting Kobach for “repeated and flagrant violations” of court procedures during a trial in March.
Kobach, who was found in contempt last month, says he’ll appeal. Kobach’s office said Robinson was the first judge in America to say that requiring a voter to prove citizenship was unconstitutional.
Robinson’s decision is the latest step in a federal lawsuit filed two years ago by the American Civil Liberties Union. It sued Kobach on behalf of state voters and the League of Women Voters, claiming the state’s requirement that people produce documents like birth certificates or passports to register at motor vehicle offices is illegal because it violates federal laws requiring minimal information to register.
