RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - North Carolina's election law that requires a photo to identification to vote and made other changes to election law is constitutional, according to a federal court ruling handing down Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder ruled in a nearly 500-page document that details his rejection of critics' arguments that the election bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory does not disenfranchise voters.

The trial took 21 days, with the judge considering testimony from nearly 135 witnesses.

Gov. McCrory praised the ruling.

"This ruling further affirms that requiring a photo ID in order to vote is not only common-sense, it's constitutional," he said in a statement. "Common practices like boarding an airplane and purchasing Sudafed require photo ID and thankfully a federal court has ensured our citizens will have the same protection for their basic right to vote."

The ACLU condemned the ruling.

No word yet on whether the plaintiffs, led by the North Carolina NAACP, will appeal.