NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court hears arguments Tuesday on the constitutionality of Mississippi laws that permanently bar certain former felons from voting unless they can get their rights restored through what advocates say is a difficult process. Six convicted felons are pushing to have their voting rights restored through a lawsuit filed in federal court in Mississippi. In his August decision, U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III threw out most of the challenges but left alive one challenge to how Mississippi allows people to regain their voting rights. The state argues that the secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections, doesn’t play a role in restoring voting rights and was wrongly sued. In its brief, the APPA argued that voting helps ex-offenders reintegrate into society.

Source: thestar December 03, 2019 06:25 UTC