Minnesota judge is reprimanded for stripping voting rights from people with felonies

MILLE LACS COUNTY, Minn. (AP) — A state oversight board has reprimanded a Minnesota judge who declared unconstitutional a new state law restoring voting rights for people with felonies. The Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards on Thursday publicly reprimanded Mille Lacs County District Judge Matthew Quinn. Quinn in 2023 sentenced two people to probation, but warned them they were not eligible to vote or register to vote — even though the law says they were. It was an unusual step because nobody involved in those cases ever asked him to rule on the constitutionality of the law. A Minnesota appeals court ruled against Quinn and said he overstepped his authority.