Appeals Court Upholds Mississippi Lifetime Voting Ban for Some Felony Convictions

Published on July 18, 2024

A federal appeals court has upheld Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting for individuals with certain felony convictions, saying that the question of restoring their voting rights is a decision for state legislators, not the courts. In a full-bench opinion delivered on July 18, the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Fifth Circuit ruled 13–6 to affirm that it is constitutional for states to disenfranchise some voters over felony convictions. At the center of the legal dispute is Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution, which lays out 10 specific felony crimes that permanently bar a convicted offender from voting, ranging from murder and bribery to theft and arson. The voting rights may be restored, but only if one receives a gubernatorial pardon or the approval of a two-thirds vote of both the state House and Senate....

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