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The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a state can prohibit felons from voting even if the ban disproportionately harms minorities, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a Washington state case that supports a similar law in California. A six-judge majority noted that other appeals courts have concluded that federal civil rights laws do not apply to a state's disqualification of felons from voting.
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The Pacific Legal Foundation, a non profit law firm based in Sacramento, California filed arguments in the case supporting the voting disenfranchisement of felons in the state of Washington. It is described as the oldest conservative law firm in the United States and it’s staff was originally composed mainly of individuals who had been a part of then-Governor Ronald Reagan’s welfare reform team.
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