Federal judge grudgingly rules for DeSantis in elections law challenge

Orlando Sentinel ^ | 2/9/24 | Jim Saunders

[CFW]

TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge reluctantly closed the door on allegations that key parts of a 2021 Florida elections law were unconstitutional after an appeal court overruled him on the issue.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued an order after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year overturned a ruling in which he found the law improperly discriminated against Black voters. The Atlanta-based appeals court sent the case back to Walker to address two major issues.

Walker, in his order Thursday, criticized the appeals court for “reweighing” facts in the case. But he entered a judgment in favor of the state, concluding that plaintiffs had not met a legal test for showing that the changes in the law “unduly burden” First Amendment and equal-protection rights.

“As this court previously found after a lengthy, two-week bench trial, the state of Florida has, with surgical precision, repeatedly changed Florida’s election code to target whichever modality of voting Florida’s Black voters were using at the time,” Walker wrote. “That was not this court’s opinion — it is a fact established by the record in these cases. Even so, following the state of Florida’s appeal, this persistent and pernicious practice of targeting the modalities of voting most used by Florida’s Black voters has apparently received the stamp of approval in this (11th) Circuit.”

[pangaea6]

I think Trump could still pick DeSantis as VP trouble is it really leaves Florida vulnerable is RS leaves right now

[simpson96]

[FLT-bird]

Bitter Obama judge overruled and forced to suck it.

Beautiful.

[Manuel OKelley]

100%

[SharpRightTurn]

“Governor DeSantis continues to prevail in his efforts to make Florida a better place to live. We need more of this at the national level.”

Absolutely correct.