The Supreme Court blocked a bid by North Carolina on Wednesday to reinstate voting restrictions that make it harder for certain groups to vote, according to a Reuters report.
The eight-justice court was evenly divided on the request by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory for an emergency request that would reinstate the strict laws this November. Five votes are required to grant emergency requests.
An appeals court ruled in July that the law is discriminatory against minority voters. The court also refused to place its decision on hold for the upcoming election in the fall. Civil rights groups and the Justice Department had been fighting against the 2013 law.
The law requires voters to have certain types of photo identification, shortens the length of early voting, and eliminates the pre-registration of teens so that they can vote at the age of 18.
Those who are critical of the strict law say it makes it more difficult for minorities, who tend to vote Democrat, to vote. Those who support the law say it helps prevent voter fraud.
The Supreme Court is still short one justice after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. A fifth conservative justice would have given the court the extra vote it needed to grant the request.
