TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal appeals court granted Florida's request to reinstate portions of the state's election law on Friday while it appeals a lower court's decision that the law was aimed at suppressing Black voters.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said that Judge Mark Walker's March ruling that the law intentionally targeted Black voters was flawed. The three-judge panel said there wasn't evidence that the law was passed with the intent to discriminate, and issued the stay as an appeal continues.
The law tightens rules on mailed ballots, drop boxes and other popular election methods — changes that made it more difficult for Black voters who, overall, have more socioeconomic disadvantages than white voters, Walker wrote in his ruling.
