A federal district judge has temporarily blocked part of a Florida law that made new rules for how citizens can change the state constitution. The groups working to get proposed amendments on the ballot say that means their work can move forward—at least for now.
The ruling by Judge Mark Walker pauses part of a law banning people who aren't U.S. or Florida residents from gathering petitions.
The rest of of the new law went into effect on July 1st. Florida Decides Healthcare, which is trying to expand Medicaid, is one of the groups involved in the challenge.
Mitch Emerson, the group's executive director, says the state constitution protects the right of Floridians to amend the document.
'Since 1968, people in this state have had the ability to bring issues they care about straight to the ballot,' he said. 'Now politicians are trying to take that right away. This isn't just a policy tweak. It's a deliberate attempt to silence everyday people.'
Other plaintiffs include Smart and Safe Florida, which backs recreational marijuana for adults, and Florida Right to Clean Water. In his ruling, Walker determined that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their challenges against the parts of the law he put on hold.
Emerson says it's good news for the groups racing to gather signatures for a ballot initiative.
"Because the decision gives us the clarity we need,' he said. 'While we don't agree with every single piece of the ruling, it removed major obstacles and affirmed that our campaign and our people can keep doing the work without being silence or punished.'
The state has maintained that the law is needed after they say the 2024 election season saw instances of fraud by petition gatherers. Walker rejected that argument, but let several parts of the new law stand.
Those include a 90-day moratorium on supervisors of election processing the petitions and a rule that requires people who collect more than 25 petitions to register with the state.
Copyright 2025 WFSU