Federal Appeals Court Overturns Mississippi's Lifetime Voting Ban for Felony Convictions
TL;DR
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has struck down Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for individuals with felony convictions, ruling it as unconstitutional and a "cruel and unusual punishment." The ban, derived from the state's 1890 constitution, disproportionately affected Black Mississippians. The court's decision will restore the voting rights of tens of thousands of Mississippians who were previously disenfranchised. The ruling stated that the ban serves no protective function to society and denies a precious right to a large class of citizens.
Topics:top-newspolitics#disenfranchisement#felony-convictions#fifth-circuit#mississippi#politics#voting-rights
- Lifetime voting ban for felony convictions struck down in Mississippi ABC News
- Mississippi’s Jim Crow-era voting law struck down by federal appeals court The Guardian US
- Mississippi's felony disenfranchisement law is struck down NPR
- 5th Circuit panel strikes down Mississippi's lifetime felony voting ban Mississippi Today
- Appeals Court Overturns Mississippi's Lifetime Ban on Voting for Former Felons The New York Times
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