September 11, 2020
The Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday that Florida can require former felons to pay all fines and fees before allowing them to vote, rejecting arguments that the financial obligations were unconstitutional poll taxes.
August 18, 2020
The state of Florida on Tuesday defended its requirement that former felons pay all fines and fees before being able to vote, arguing before the full Eleventh Circuit that because the financial obligations are tied to the felons' sentences, they are not unconstitutional poll taxes.
July 27, 2020
Two former Florida Supreme Court justices who now sit on the Eleventh Circuit on Monday would not recuse themselves from hearing a challenge to a state law requiring former felons pay all fines and fees before being able to vote, saying the related case they heard while in the Florida high court is not the same proceeding.
July 24, 2020
The state of Florida has urged the Eleventh Circuit not to recuse two judges who participated in a related state court matter from a dispute over voting rights for former felons, saying the calls for the judges to step down were partisan attacks and the timing of the move was suspect.
July 22, 2020
U.S. Circuit Judge Andrew Brasher — one of three Trump-appointed Eleventh Circuit judges facing pressure from U.S. Senate Democrats to bow out of a voting rights case — has recused himself from hearing a challenge to a Florida law requiring former felons to pay all fines and fees before being able to vote.
July 16, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it would not remove a stay of a district court ruling that struck down a Florida law requiring former felons to pay all fines and fees before being able to vote, jeopardizing the ability of poor ex-felons to cast a vote this November.
July 02, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic dominated the first half of the year in Florida as judges and litigators had to adjust to the new normal of justice by computer screen, but the courts continued their work, issuing rulings in battles over felon voting rights and bitcoin holdings, as well as handling pandemic-related litigation over business interruption coverage and cruise ship liability.
June 19, 2020
The Eleventh Circuit doesn't need to grant Florida's unprecedented request for an immediate en banc review of the state's appeal of a decision striking down a law requiring former felons to pay all fines and fees before being free to vote, according to a response filed Friday.