A federal judge found that North Carolina’s new voting laws pass constitutional scrutiny. The Republican-led legislature revised the state’s voting laws, requiring photo identification in the 2016 election and shortening the early voting period by a week. The Department of Justice and civil rights groups like the NAACP challenged the law and argued the laws disproportionally affect black voters by burdening get-out-to-vote campaigns. But in his opinion, Judge Thomas Schroeder wrote, “[N]o witnesses testified that he or she will not be able to adjust operations readily to fit the new early-voting period.” He did give the plaintiffs credit, though. Voting law is a sensitive subject, especially in the South. North Carolinians “have reason to be wary of changes in voting law,” Schroeder wrote. After the scrutiny, North Carolina can rest assured its voting laws are fair. More…