Posted on 03/28/2006 8:36:53 AM PST by MooseMan
OLYMPIA — A King County Superior Court judge Monday ruled that thousands of Washington felons should be able to vote even though they have yet to pay off court-ordered fines.
"It is well recognized that there is simply no rational relationship between the ability to pay and the exercise of constitutional rights," Judge Michael Spearman wrote in a ruling backing the challenge of three indigent felons.
Spearman said the state law requiring payment of all court-ordered fines and fees before a felon can vote again violates the equal-protection clause in the U.S. Constitution and the state constitution. He said "discrimination on the basis of wealth and property has long been disfavored."
Under state law, felons can petition the state to have their voting rights restored, but only after they have completed their sentences — including any probation or community service — and have paid all of their court-related costs.
State lawyers argued that the judge shouldn't make a distinction between court-ordered payments and other parts of a felon's sentence, such as jail time.
"It's rational for the Legislature to say we want you to complete everything, as opposed to start separating out sentence elements," said deputy solicitor general Jeff Even.
State officials said they hadn't yet decided whether to appeal.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Being a liberal, he focused on the wealth factor rather than on the factor that actually matters, the FELONY factor.
Personally, I think Washington should impeach all their judges, and start over with a new batch.
If a past felon can get the vote shouldn't the politicians let them have their gun ownership rights back also?
After all we.........
Maybe victim's rights groups should have some say in this.
Let them buy guns while there at it, Its o constitutional right!
Does this mean that dead felons can vote now, too?
In Washington, I think they do already.
"The ability to pay and constitutional rights."
Tell that to a divorced Dad who gets laid off.
Nothing like the judges in Washington building the Dem voter base. If they can get enough felons voting again, they won't have to have dead people vote anymore.
...now we just need to ease the regulations against illegal immigrant voting...
"Does this mean dead felons can vote now?"
Only in Chicago.......
Look on the bright side, since they have an infusion of felonry votes, maybe now they will mail out the military ballots on time.
As the Dem voter list shrinks due to convictions for felonies, I guess the same-said liberals have to protect their voting loyalists. Would be ashamed for them to loose those votes....
They get to vote twice (once for being dead and once for being felons).
Heck, just start building voting booths in the prisons. While we're at it, how about a bunch of booths just across the borders of Mexico and Canada - just make sure there's also running water, clean bathrooms and a Taco Bell or McDonalds nearby. That should be "equal protection" enough.
And they haven't served their term if they haven't paid their fine.
I have heard that the Democrats are running voter registration desks at funeral homes in Seattle!
Let's amend that to....."illegal immigrant felons" voting while we're at it. And frankly, it shouldn't stop there. Just so we do not cut ourselves from any of the enriching diversity offered by different cultures, I think we should go ahead and offer cash stipends for illegal immigrant transexual felons so they can vote. There, I'm glad I got that off my chest.
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