The Senator who sponsored the Voter Photo ID law wants a chance to defend the law in court. Senator Delbert Scott (R-Lowry City) is on the outside looking in as the law he sponsored is challenged in court. He doesn’t want to be. Scott has asked to intervene in the two lawsuits filed against the law, but the presiding Cole County Circuit judge hasn’t agreed to allow his lawyer to participate, yet. That could change and Scott says his participation could clear up what he sees as the misinformed and inadequate testimony given so far in court. Scott points out that though the Secretary of State is a defendant in the lawsuits, she isn’t defending the law. A lawyer for the Secretary of State has told Judge Richard Callahan that the Secretary of State’s office agrees with the plaintiff’s criticism of the law. She offered no defense of the law during Monday’s court hearing. Scott says that has created a one-sided argument. He points out that with the election authority sitting out the case, the defense has been left to the Attorney General’s office. And Scott says that while the two AG assistants have been asking good questions, they aren’t election experts and could benefit from the expertise his attorney could supply. Judge Callahan says he will reconsider the request to intervene during next month’s scheduled hearing.

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