Appeals court rules felony offenders can't be prosecuted for voting unlawfully by mistake

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a North Carolina law that made it a crime for felony offenders who vote before they have completed their sentences without knowing they were breaking the law is unconstitutional.

A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday unanimously upheld a trial judge's decision that found the law was discriminatory and harmed Black ex-defendants disproportionately.