A federal judge ruled Thursday that Floridas lifetime ban on restoring voting rights for felons violates the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said Floridas vote restoration process unfairly relies on the personal support of Gov. Rick Scott for citizens to regain this fundamental right.
Walker ruled in a case brought by the Fair Elections Legal Network, a Washington, D.C., group that challenged the constitutionality of the Florida system.
Walkers decision came nine days after the state approved a ballot measure that, if passed in November, would restore the voting rights of about 1.2 million felons.
The ruling was a rejection of a 2011 vote by Scott and the Florida Cabinet, then composed of Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. They agreed to impose a waiting period of five to seven years to begin a process that would allow felons to apply for restoration of rights.
The vote overturned a measure by former Gov. Charlie Crist in 2007 that revised the states rules on clemency. It created automatic rights restoration for people completing sentences for certain felony convictions.