Va. Supreme Court strikes down Governor's restoration of rights for former felons

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By a decision of 4-3, the Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a landmark executive order issued by Governor Terry McAuliffe earlier this year that restored the voting rights of over 200,000 former felons.

In April, Governor McAuliffe restored the voting and civil rights of more than 200,000 Virginians who were convicted of felonies, served their time and completed any supervised release, parole or probation requirements. In a statement on the governor's website, "each of those Virginians will immediately regain the right to register to vote, to run for office, to serve on a jury and to serve as a notary public."

In a 60-plus page decision, the Virginia Supreme court "respectfully disagreed" with the governor's assertion that his clemency power in the matter was "absolute."

"The clemency power may be broad, but it is not absolute," the decision notes.