Florida Ex-Felon Voting Lawsuit Headed for Trial
The right to vote took a step forward Friday for ex-felons in Florida:
A federal appeals court Friday ordered a trial in a lawsuit that claims Florida's law barring felons from voting is unconstitutional because it discriminates against blacks. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, reversing a lower court ruling dismissing the case, decided there are enough relevant facts for the case to go to trial.
...Roughly 600,000 Floridians are banned from voting because of felony convictions, according to the Florida Equal Rights Voting Project. A disproportionate number of them more than a third are black, according to American Civil Liberties Union estimates.
Update: Here's the latest on the court decision.
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