The
Florida Supreme Court sided with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday in a legal dispute over restoring voting rights to felons with unpaid fines — one of many clashes over the ballot box in a state that will play a crucial role in this year's presidential election.
The court's advisory opinion — requested by the
Republican governor last year — has no immediate legal consequence, but could influence federal judges weighing legal wranglings over the voter-approved measure known as Amendment 4.
In a separate opinion, the court found no reason to prevent a measure from going to voters this year that would tweak the state's constitution to specify that “only a citizen” of the
United States can vote in Florida.