|TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge on Wednesday largely denied a request from petition groups to block parts of a Florida law that changes how citizen-led amendments make it to the ballot.

In passing the law earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the bill’s Republican sponsors said the petition process needed reform because it is riddled with fraud.

But groups like Florida Decides Healthcare, which is trying to get an amendment that will expand Medicaid access on 2026 ballots, quickly sued , saying the new law stifles people’s ability to use the petition process. Other groups, including the recreational marijuana campaign Smart & Safe Florida, joined the lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker largely denied the plaintiffs’ request to block three sections of the new law.

Plaintif

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