On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided not to block Florida’s law preventing some convicted felons from voting.
Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed Florida Senate Bill 7066 (SB 7066), a law limiting felons would only get their voting rights restored after paying outstanding fines and penalties, in addition to completing their prison terms. This builds on a measure approved by voters in 2018, Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative (Prop 4) that restored felons’ voting rights once the sentences are complete.
However, a federal judge said that DeSantis’ restrictions were unconstitutional, but the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals allowed them to take effect as the case would go through the court system. But, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case.
Three of the leftist judges dissented, with the dissent written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said that “[T]his Court’s inaction continues a trend of condoning disfranchisement.”
This is a good decision by the Court, as the judicial branch has no power to veto a law. Prop 4, while allowing felons voting upon completing their sentences, never nullified the monetary costs or penalties. Hence, it is out of the power of any court to rewrite that. The mistaken notion of judicial supremacy suffered a blow today that it truly deserves.
