Anoka County Judge Upholds Minnesota’s Move To Re-Enfranchise Felons Amid Conservative Legal Battle

The Minnesota Voters Alliance's lawsuit was slapped down on grounds of insufficient legal standing, and Judge Thomas Lehmann refuted their claim that the Minnesota Legislature had overreached in their decision to restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated as soon as they exit prison walls, according to a report by KARE 11.

The law's critics had a particular interpretation of a clause in the state constitution, which states that felons cannot vote "unless restored to civil rights." They insisted that this language implied restoration of all civil rights, Judge Lehmann said "The major premise of this argument is fundamentally flawed," considering the constitution's lack of specification on being restored to "all" civil rights.

The Minnesota Supreme Court had earlier placed the onus on the Legislature to determine the conditions for restoring voting rights post-incarceration, Twin Cities detailed.

Minnesota's stride in reinstating voting rights came amid a wave of similar legislative initiatives across over a dozen states this year, recognizing the disproportionate impact that disenfranchisement holds over communities of color due to systemic biases.

An estimated figure of 55,000 Minnesotans have reclaimed their right to vote following the law's enactment.

Standing in opposition, the Minnesota Voters Alliance, represented by attorney James Dickey, announced plans to continue their battle by appealing directly to the state's high court.

In the wake of victories for voting rights advocates, Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison expressed his satisfaction with the court's decision, congratulating the state for once again quashing attempts to restrict voting access. The Minnesota Court of Appeals had previously dismissed an analogous challenge to the law, which also tried to argue for its unconstitutionality, as reported by KARE 11.

SOURCE: Hoodline