RICHMOND, Va. – The Latest on an appeals court hearing on North Carolina’s voter laws (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Members of a three-judge federal appeals court panel are expressing skepticism that North Carolina’s Republican-led legislature’s changes to voting laws do not discriminate against minorities.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Tuesday about an April trial court ruling that upheld a 2013 voter ID law and exceptions approved later.

The laws require photo identification to cast in-person ballots, reduce early voting from 17 to 10 days, eliminate same-day registration during early voting and bar the counting of Election Day ballots cast in the wrong precinct.

One judge says the timing of the Republicans’ actions “looks pretty bad.” Another asked pointed questions about why the GOP excluded public assistance IDs from the list of acceptable forms of identification.

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4:30 a.m.

A federal appeals court is listening to arguments about North Carolina laws that require photo identification to cast in-person ballots and make other voting changes that critics say discriminate against minorities.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled a hearing Tuesday about an April trial court ruling that upheld a 2013 law and exceptions approved later to the voter ID mandate.

The laws approved by Republicans also reduced early voting from 17 to 10 days, eliminated same-day registration during early voting and barred the counting of Election Day ballots cast in the wrong precinct.

The U.S. Justice Department, state NAACP, League of Women Voters and others sued. But data show black voters had higher turnout and registration after some of the changes were implemented.