A state appellate court in Fort Worth, Texas, has acquitted Crystal Mason of an illegal voting conviction that would have required her to serve a five-year prison sentence.
Judge Wade Birdwell wrote in his ruling that the state did not have enough evidence to prove that Mason knew she was ineligible to vote when she cast a ballot in the 2016 election.
In a statement, the ACLU of Texas said this acquittal amounts to a "victory for Mason, a Black grandmother from Fort Worth, whose life was upended by the state's aggressive charges."
"I am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today," Mason said in a statement. "I was thrown into this fight for voting rights and will keep swinging to ensure no one else has to face what I've endured for over six years, a political ploy where minority voting rights are under attack."
