Via Josh Gerstein comes this order in the federal district court requiring North Carolina to restore same day voter registration and the counting of out-of-precinct voting. The 4th Circuit had directed the district court to do that, reversing the district court’s earlier refusal to do so. But….

North Carolina has appealed to the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice Roberts has indicated he wants a response on the emergency stay order by Sunday at 5 pm.  That order does not automatically stay anything. But….

Today’s district court order puts things off until at least Tuesday: “IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the parties appear before the court on Tuesday October 7, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. in Winston-Salem, Courtroom # 2 for a status conference to address how Defendants intend to comply with this Order.”

By then, the Supreme Court could well have reversed the 4th Circuit’s order, mooting the issue.