In an appalling case of judicial activism, the ultraliberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered Washington state to let convicted felons vote while they serve prison terms. The plaintiffs — including a career criminal — said a law forbidding inmates to vote is racially discriminatory because minorities are a disproportionate share of inmates.
There is reasonable debate over whether felons who have completed their prison terms ought to have their voting rights restored. But it is absurd to grant voting rights to someone who is still in prison — and that is certainly not a court’s proper role.
Criminals forfeit many rights once they are convicted. It is a ridiculous stretch to suggest that Washington state operates its court and prison systems with the goal of denying minorities their voting rights.
This absurd, activist ruling should be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which should sternly rebuke the 9th Circuit in the process.