On August 4th, 2023, the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a Mississippi ruling that created lifetime disenfranchisement for people with felony convictions.
Mississippi state’s constitutional provision, Section 241, became law in 1890 after the Civil War during Reconstruction. The lawsuit against it was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and formerly incarcerated people in 2018. This decision also comes just two months after the United States Supreme Court refused to review another case tied to this same law.
Circuit court Judge James Dennis claimed that the law violates the Eighth Amendment of the constitution, which covers cruel and unusual punishment. The judge also found that from 1994-2017, nearly 29,000 ex-offenders’ voting rights were stripped in a clear push to disproportionately disenfranchise Black people in the state.
The Mississippi State government has indicated that the state will look to appeal this landmark court decision based on a 1974 Supreme Court decision that established the removal of voting rights from prisoners not a part of the equal protection clause included in the 4th amendment.
While this move by the state of Mississippi is progress, we still need to push for more. Justice shouldn't come at the whim or forgiveness of the system. How can we redefine justice for ourselves instead?