Supremes appear to back voter law

Questions posed by U.S. Supreme Court justices today suggest they might be reluctant to overturn Indianaâ??s voter ID law.

Reports from the proceedings quote Justice Anthony Kennedy, often a swing vote on the court, as asking why the court should
be asked to â??invalidate the statute because of minimal inconvenience.â??

The 2005 law requires photo identification in order to vote. Its backers said the law was needed in order to reduce fraud.

In todayâ??s hearing, the liberal justices were critical of the law. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for one, asked why the state couldnâ??t
simply require voters to sign a sworn statement on election day in order to avoid having to get an ID.

The law, considered one of the most stringent in the nation, was taken to the high court by the Indiana Democratic Party.
The party contends that the demand for a photo ID imposes an unnecessary burden on voters â?? particularly minorities, low-income
and senior citizens, many of whom tend to vote Democratic.

A ruling is expected this summer. What should the justices do?