John Bielski, Willig, Williams & Davidson

In 2012, the Philadelphia Public Interest Law Center asked Willig, Williams & Davidson to write an amicus brief in its case, Applewhite v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The case concerned a state constitutional challenge to the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s enactment of Voter ID statute, requiring residents to present a certain type of photo identification before voting. This requirement would have disenfranchised many otherwise eligible Pennsylvania voters who could not afford or obtain the necessary identification—a burden that fell most heavily on urban, low income, minority, elderly, and disable voters. This statute was nominally passed to protect against purported voter fraud.