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The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a significant challenge to Mississippi's lifetime ban on voting for individuals convicted of various felonies, a policy established during the Jim Crow era in 1890. This decision follows an appeal from a class-action lawsuit brought in 2018 by six Mississippi men, which argued that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution's 14th and 8th Amendments.
The Mississippi ban, part of the state constitution, prohibits individuals convicted of a wide range of felonies from voting for life, regardless of whether they have completed their sentences. The ban affects more than 58% of disenfranchised individuals who are Black, highlighting the racial implications of these laws entrenched in Mississippi's history of segregation and disenfranchisement.
A 2023 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals initially sided with the plaintiffs, stating the ban may violate constitutional protections. However, the full court subsequently upheld the ban in a 13-6 vote. The Supreme Court's refusal to review the case means the Mississippi voting restriction remains in place, drawing criticism for its stark contrast to the national trend towards reforming disenfranchisement laws.
Under current law, the restoration of voting rights can only occur through a two-thirds vote in the state legislature or a pardon from the governor, processes which have occurred only 18 times from 2013 to 2018. Advocates argue that this policy perpetuates systemic racial inequality in the voting process.