Allen told The Washington Times: “It seems to me that the Eleventh Circuit panel improperly used the concept of severability to change the meaning of Amendment 4. It could have simply stricken the entire Amendment as unconstitutional. I don’t see how it was empowered to modify what the Florida Supreme Court definitely declared was the plain meaning of Amendment 4 — that only criminals who have paid their entire debt to society can have their voting rights restored — as it did. On first reaction, this result therefore seems to me to be policy-oriented.”
READ: The Washington Times, “Florida’s Amendment 4 – giving former felons voting rights – upheld by U.S. appeals court”
©2026 Carlton Fields, P.A. Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP. Carlton Fields publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information and educational purposes only, and should not be relied on as if it were advice about a particular fact situation. The distribution of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Carlton Fields. This publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication or proceeding without the prior written consent of the firm, to be given or withheld at our discretion. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our Contact Us form via the link below. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the firm. This site may contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other entities. Carlton Fields does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, nor is the inclusion of a link to be intended as an endorsement of those outside sites.
Related Capabilities
Related People
Shareholder
Media Contact
Senior Public Relations and Communications Manager
