In response to this week’s ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which determined that the imposition of fines and fees on Returning Citizens as a prerequisite for registering to vote is unconstitutional, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition‘s executive director Desmond Meade delivered remarks on his Facebook page and also issued the following statement.
“FRRC is cautiously optimistic about the recent ruling by the 11th Circuit. This decision is a ruling that addresses an injunction issued in 2019, and the injunction applies only to the 17 plaintiffs in that lawsuit. We recognize that there are still many stops in this litigation process, and this legal battle is far from being over.
“Until then we will continue to operate as we have been by engaging as many of the 1.4 million Returning Citizens in Florida as possible.
“We will continue to operate under the color of law and utilize current legislation that allows people with fines and fees to seek relief from the courts, and we will continue to encourage people to donate to the Fines and Fees Fund to help people pay their fines and fees so they can move on with their lives. We will continue to place people over politics and create a more inclusive democracy.
“This decision further highlights the opportunity for Governor DeSantis and the Clemency Board to take bold and courageous actions around clemency reform without having to wait for any court ruling or legislative action.”
