In a decision fraught with partisan political overtones, the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has upheld an 1868 Florida law that generally bars convicted felons from voting even after they’ve finished serving their prison sentences.
Tuesday’s 10-2 ruling widens an existing split of opinion on the issue among the federal appellate courts across the country and could set the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the issue. The decision affirmed a 2002 summary judgment by Senior U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King in Miami.
