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Black women's felon-voter-restoration case in FL draws sympathetic hearing during 11th Circuit
Black women’s felon-voter-restoration case in FL draws sympathetic hearing during 11th Circuit argumentsThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has an opportunity to invoke the Nineteenth Amendment to extend voting rights to Black women who can’t afford to pay the restitution required under Florida’s Amendment 4 of 2018.
Judging by oral arguments before a three-judge panel this week, it’s not clear they can or will.
The case could turn on whether the court needs to look for a specific intent by the Florida Legislature to discriminate against Black women ex-felons — who, according to a legal team from the Southern Poverty Law Center, face extraordinary financial barriers against meeting the “legal financial obligations” — meaning court-ordered fines, fees, and restitution — required.
Alternatively, the court could decide that it’s enough that the law implementing Amendment 4 discriminates in effect against the women.
Read more: https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2021/07/25/black-womens-felon-voter-restoration-case-in-fl-draws-sympathetic-hearing-during-11th-circuit-arguments/