Florida: “State Supreme Court agrees with Legislature: Felons must pay all costs to regain vote”

Miami Herald:

In a setback to supporters of Amendment 4, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday issued an opinion that the amendment’s definition of “all terms of sentence” included the payment of any financial obligations imposed during a felon’s sentence.

“We conclude that the phrase, when read and understood in context, plainly refers to obligations and includes ‘all’ — not some — LFOs [legal financial obligations] imposed in conjunction with an adjudication of guilt,” justices wrote.

Nearly two-thirds of Florida voters in 2018 approved Amendment 4, which restored the right to vote to nearly all felons who had completed “all terms of sentence.”

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