Federal Appeals Court Overturns Mississippi's Lifetime Felony Voting Ban

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for individuals convicted of certain crimes is unconstitutional, violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The court stated that Mississippi's permanent disenfranchisement law, a relic of the state's Jim Crow era, is an outlier compared to the national trend of restoring voting rights to individuals who have completed their sentences. The ruling highlights the racist history of the law, which was designed to disenfranchise Black residents. The state may appeal the decision to the full 5th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court.