Raleigh, North Carolina – A panel of three North Carolina judges ruled that people formerly incarcerated on felony charges in the state may still vote.

The decision, which will impact an estimated 56,000 people, followed from a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups in 2019, CNN reported.

The panel of judges ruled 2-1 that the law prohibiting formerly convicted felons from voting until they have completed probation and parole violated the North Carolina Constitution.

Kellie Myers, the trial court administrator, confirmed that the ruling applies to people convicted of felonies in federal and state courts.

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The restoration of voting rights to ex-felons not currently in prison was ordered to take place immediately.

With predatory policing and mass incarceration disproportionately targeting Black and brown Americans, disenfranchisement of felons is considered a major civil rights issue.

Some groups have even called the recent decision the most significant expansion of voting rights in North Carolina since the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination in voting.

History has been made in North Carolina," said Diana Powell, executive director of Justice Served NC. "A change has come!"

The ruling may still be appealed, with Republicans already characterizing the decision as judges overreaching their powers.