It was decided by Governor Rick Scott (FL-R) that he will not seek the U.S. Supreme Court to review a law that was intended to require welfare applicants to get drug tested.

The law was a top priority of Scott’s first term but it was ruled unconstitutional by two federal courts even though Texas is passing a similar law which received unanimous support by their state Senators.

American Civil Liberties Union of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said:

After nearly four years of litigation, this ugly attack on poor Floridians has finally come to an end. . . This law was always about scoring political points on the backs of Florida’s poor and treating them like suspected criminals without suspicion or evidence.

It was U.S. District Judge, Mary Scriven who originally declared the law to be an unconstitutional search and seizure and that ruling was upheld by the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals in December.

Governor Scott’s spokeswoman, Jackie Schultz said:

We chose not to appeal this case. . . The governor is continuing to protect Florida children any way he can and create an environment where families can get jobs so they are able to pursue their dreams in safe communities.

This is not the first time Governor Scott has lost his fight to get Floridians drug tested. He had also issued an executive order that would require random drug tests for thousands of state workers and it was also struck down by a Miami federal judge. The 11th Circuit Court however did reverse part of that ruling. They concluded some categories of workers could be subjected to drug tests.