Federal judge upholds NC Voter ID law

Loretta C. Biggs, Senior United States District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina, on March 26, 2026, upheld the NC Voter ID law, which was passed in 2018.

In a 118 page decision, Judge Biggs gave the following final conclusion.

“This Court’s consideration of the preliminary injunction record, the limited evidence Plaintiffs presented at trial, (excluding the evidence offered in Plaintiffs’ Offer of Proof for appeal), and the arguments of counsel, the controlling case law of the United States Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit requires Judgment to be rendered in favor of the Defendants on all claims. Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, the Court enters the following:

“It is therefore ordered and adjudged that Judgment shall be entered in favor of Defendants on both Plaintiffs’ claim under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and Plaintiffs’ claim under § 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”

The Plaintiffs were comprised of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and several state chapters of this organization. These chapters include Chapel Hill—Carrboro NAACP, Greensboro NAACP, High Point NAACP, Moore County NAACP, Stokes County Branch of the NAACP, and Winston-Salem—Forsyth County NAACP.

The suit was filed in federal court one day after S.B. 824 became law.

State Board Defendants were members of the North Carolina Board of Elections. Legislative Intervenor Defendants are Phillip E. Burger, President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate and Timothy K. Moore, who, at the time, was Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) released the following statement after North Carolina’s Voter I.D. law was upheld in federal court, “Finally. After seven years, we can put to rest any doubt that our state’s Voter I.D. law is constitutional. This is a monumental win for the citizens of North Carolina and election integrity efforts.”

NAACP North Carolina State Conference President Deborah Dicks Maxwell released the following statement regarding the federal court ruling upholding North Carolina’s photo voter ID law:
“This decision is deeply disappointing and ignores the real and documented barriers that voter ID laws create for Black, Latino, elderly, and low income voters. The NAACP North Carolina State Conference remains committed to protecting the fundamental right to vote and will continue pursuing every legal and civic avenue to ensure fair access to the ballot.”