Judge Strikes Down Drug Testing of Florida Welfare Recipients
By DARA KAM
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Published: December 31, 2013 | Updated: December 31, 2013 at 04:38 PM
TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge ruled today that a 2011 law requiring welfare applicants to undergo drug tests is unconstitutional, striking a blow to Gov. Rick Scott’s administration over the controversial tests.
Scott quickly said he would appeal U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven’s ruling, the latest defeat for the governor in a drawn-out battle over drug testing some of the state’s poorest residents.
Scriven ruled that the urine tests violate the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.
In a harshly worded, 30-page opinion, Scriven concluded that “there is no set of circumstances under which the warrantless, suspicionless drug testing at issue in this case could be constitutionally applied.”
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