A divided federal appeals court has ruled that Mississippi cannot strip the right to vote from thousands of convicts after they complete their sentences.
a provision of Mississippi’s state constitution that mandates lifetime disenfranchisement for people convicted of a set of crimes including murder, rape and theft.
He said the state’s constitutional provision, Section 241, served no legitimate purpose, ensures former offenders are never fully rehabilitated, and was adopted in 1890 after the U.S. Civil War to “ensure the political supremacy of the white race.” He said Mississippi was “bucking a clear and consistent trend in our Nation against permanent disenfranchisement,” he said, noting that 35 states plus Washington, D.C., today disavow the practice.
“This is a major victory for Mississippians who have completed their sentences and deserve to participate fully in our political process,” said Jonathan Youngwood, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit.
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