Mississippi Lifetime Ban on Felon Voting Ruled UnconstitutionalSource: AdstockRFA 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel of three judges ruled Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting for certain felony convictions unconstitutional. The Aug. 4, 2023 ruling sends the case back to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi and instructs Judge Daniel Jordan III to find the restriction unconstitutional. Brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center, among other organizations, on behalf of those who have been denied the vote in Mississippi, could reenfranchise about 30,000 Mississippians. The lawsuit alleged the ban amounted to cruel and unusual punishment and the court agreed. SourcesShera Avi-Yonah, “Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Felons Voting Is Unconstitutional, Court Rules,” washingtonpost.com, Aug. 5, 2023Bobby Harrison, “5th Circuit Panel Strikes Down Mississippi’s Lifetime Felony Voting Ban,” mississippitoday.org, Aug. 4, 2023

Source: Washington Post August 08, 2023 17:24 UTC