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High court rejects felons' voting appeal

Monday, November 14, 2005; Posted: 3:54 p.m. EST (20:54 GMT)


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Manage Alerts | What Is This? WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court Monday, without comment, rejected the appeal of Florida felons seeking to regain their right to vote.

Since 1868, Florida has had a lifetime voting ban for felons. But lawyers representing about 600,000 affected by the law sought to regain their voting rights by filing a suit under the 14th Amendment, which gave African-Americans the right to vote, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which ended legal barriers to the polls.

The case is Johnson v. Bush (05-0212).

The lawyers contended that states have discretion in establishing their voting laws without federal interference, and some of the 48 states that ban felons from voting offer them a chance to regain that right.

Florida offers that same opportunity, but critics say it can be costly, lengthy and uncertain.

Vermont and Maine do not have voting restrictions for felons.

In the past year, the governors of Iowa and Nebraska acted to end the permanent disenfranchisement laws in their states. Those steps require legislative approval.

Florida's ban prevents 10 percent of African-American adults in the state from voting under the ban, said people supporting the felons' cause, and that figure does not include those still incarcerated.

Nationwide, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition says about 5 million people cannot vote because of felony convictions.

"This is a sad day for our democracy," said Catherine Weiss, associate counsel for the New York University School of Law, which is representing the Florida felons. "The court has not only missed an opportunity to right a great historic injustice, it has shut the courthouse door in the face of hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised citizens."

it has shut the courthouse door in the face of hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised citizens."

Yes, to felons that have raped, murdered and have failed to live by the laws of the land. C. Weiss, what do you not understand by a law except to try and change it in your behalf for people that do not understand or abide by the law?
_________________
Terry Boone PCF 90
Qui Nhon 68-69