RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Justice will appeal the district court's recent decision to enjoin the law pending a trial.

U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Biggs issued a temporary injunction, December 26, 1019, blocking the state's newest version of a voter ID law from taking effect. The injunction granted in response to a lawsuit filed by the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP challenging the constitutional amendment that North Carolina voters approved during the November 2018 general election.

On Tuesday, Biggs citied North Carolina's "sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression," as she ordered officials to not enforce the law until the lawsuit is heard. North Carolina Republican lawmakers immediately called on the State Dept. of Justice to appeal, and that call was answered.

A news release, Thursday, from the office of North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, said the state will appeal the order. However, "to avoid any further voter confusion in the primary election in which absentee voting begins in just 11 days and to ensure that the primary election proceeds on schedule and is administered in an orderly manner, the Department will not seek a stay of this injunction before the primary."

The release from AG Stein's office continued, "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will review the district court’s decision, but we anticipate that photo identification will not be required to vote in the primary per the district court’s decision."