'The decision to block the lower court's ruling affirms that judges can't just replace laws they don't like with new ones,' state Senator Warren Daniel said.
Around 56,000 North Carolina residents convicted of felonies are affected by an appeals court blocking an order expanding when they have the right to vote again, the Associated Press reported.
The order had allowed felons who aren't currently serving prison or jail time to immediately register to vote and cast ballots, but the state Court of Appeals agreed to halt the decision made by trial judges. Should the decision by the appeals court remain in place, felons will not be able to vote in the municipal elections this fall. Voting rights groups have already started registration drives targeting the thousands of residents, and some felons affected by the decision are likely already registered to vote.Thousands of North Carolina felons are affected by an appeals court decision that blocks a movement to expand their right to vote.
The trial court order, however, said that election officials can't deny voter registration to any convicted felon who is on probation, parole or post-release supervision. An attorney for the plaintiffs said the trial court's decision represented the largest expansion of North Carolina voting rights since the 1960s.
Last year, the same court said felony offenders couldn't be denied the right to vote if the only reason their rights hadn't been restored was due to unpaid fines or restitution.Republican legislative leaders, some of whom were defendants in the lawsuit, were pleased with Friday's decision. They had earlier accused the majority of the three trial judges who approved last week's ruling of judicial activism.
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