BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Some 70,000 convicted felons in Louisiana could see their voting rights restored if a lawsuit against the Secretary of State is successful.
The lawsuit filed in July hit with a slight road-block when State District Judge Tim Kelley said the suit could not be classified as a class action lawsuit, but moved it forward for a ruling sometime this year, according to the Advocate.
Felons on probation or parole cannot currently vote in the state. That is the statute being targeted by the lawsuit.
The Louisiana Constitution makes it clear that individuals imprisoned on felony convictions are not allowed to vote in elections. In 1976, state law broadened the restriction to also include convicted felons who are on parole or probation.
This year, state legislators turned down a bill that would have given felons on probation or parole the right to vote. Now, this lawsuit is hoping to change that for thousands of residents.
Bill Quigley, one of the Louisiana attorneys representing a number of plaintiffs, is a key figure in the state’s social justice-left. Activists are not only advocating to restore felons’ voting rights, but are also demanding that monuments related to the Civil War be removed from the public square in New Orleans, as Breitbart Texas reported.
A Black Lives Matter-aligned organization called ‘Take ‘Em Down Nola’ stormed New Orleans’ Andrew Jackson monument in September demanding all monuments related to the Civil War come down across the city. The monument, which honors the hero of the 1814 Battle of New Orleans, sits at the heart of the city’s historic French Quarter.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office told the Advocate that they believe the Constitution is correct and stand by the law keeping felons on parole and probation from voting.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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