Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals Uphold Ban On Felons Voting

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Washington State's ban on felons from voting.  The ruling reverses a prior ruling by a three-judge panel from the same court which held that the prohibition in the Washington State Constitution is unconstitutional.   The vast majority of states ban convicted felons from voting.  Only two states, Maine and Vermont, permit convicted felons to vote.  In overturning the three-judge panel, the Court held that barring convicted felons from voting has long been a part of U.S. history and held that plaintiff's filing suit must show that the state's criminal justice system is infected by intentional discrimination.  A very high standard which will probably make it virtually impossible to challenge any state laws which bar convicted felons from voting.

We have reported that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that police do not need to obtain a warrant prior to placing a GPS tracking device on a citizen's vehicle.

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