The U.S 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously denied the state’s request for a rehearing in a case over felon voting rights in Florida.
A three-judge panel in February upheld a lower court ruling that said a person’s right to vote could not be restricted over their ability to pay. The issue is over a Florida law that barred hundreds of thousands of felons from voting due to having not paid fines, fees or restitution.
"Specifically, the Governor and the Secretary of the State wanted the full court to rehear that matter, reverse it, and the court unanimously declined today to do so said Daniel Tilley, a Legal Director with the ACLU. "So we’re very happy with this development and it certainly puts wind in our sails for the trial that’s coming up next month."
A trial in state court over Florida’s law is scheduled for April 27. The law implemented a Florida constitutional amendment that restored the right to vote for most felons.
