A federal judge permanently blocked Florida’s new voter suppression laws from going into effect on Thursday, issuing a blistering ruling that said the bill unfairly and unconstitutionally violated minorities’ voting rights.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked three major components of the sweeping bill from going into effect because they suppressed Black voters:
Walker, an Obama appointee, also put the state back into pre-clearance status under the Voting Rights Act for the next 10 years because Florida has “repeatedly, recently, and persistently acted to deny Black Floridians access to the franchise.” Pre-clearance means Florida will need to obtain federal approval before passing new laws related to those three issues.
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