ATLANTA (AP) – Lawyers on both sides of a battle over a Florida law requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test appeared before a federal appeals court Thursday, presenting technical arguments about constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.
Florida’s law requires welfare applicants to pay for and pass a drug test to receive benefits. It was in effect from July through October last year before being temporarily blocked by a federal judge after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging it. The judge said the law may violate a constitutional ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.
