Current:Home > FinanceMississippi seeks new court hearing to revive its permanent stripping of some felons’ voting rights-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Mississippi seeks new court hearing to revive its permanent stripping of some felons’ voting rights
View Date:2024-12-23 19:02:32
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A court ruling striking down Mississippi’s practice of permanently stripping voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies should be reconsidered and reversed, the state said Friday as it asked for new hearing by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Enforcement of the voting ban, which is part of the state’s constitution, was blocked by in a 2-1 decision by a panel of 5th Circuit judges on Aug. 4. Mississippi attorneys, led by state Attorney General Lynn Fitch, asked the full New Orleans-based court, with 16 active members, to reconsider the case, saying the earlier ruling conflicts with Supreme Court precedent and rulings in other circuit courts.
The voting ban affects Mississippi residents convicted of specific felonies, including murder, forgery and bigamy.
The Aug. 4 ruling held that denying voting rights violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Mississippi lawyers argued Friday that the panel’s decision would “inflict profound damage and sow widespread confusion.”
If the ruling stands, tens of thousands of people could regain voting rights, possibly in time for the Nov. 7 general election for governor and other statewide offices. But the future of the ruling is uncertain at the 5th Circuit, which is widely considered among the most conservative of the federal appellate courts.
The 5th Circuit last year rejected a call to end the state’s prohibition of felons’ voting, ruling in a lawsuit that argued that the Jim Crow-era authors of the Mississippi Constitution stripped voting rights for crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit, including forgery, larceny and bigamy. The Supreme Court let that decision stand.
The majority in the Aug. 4 decision, consisted of judges nominated to the court by Democratic presidents: Carolyn Dineen King, nominated by President Jimmy Carter, and James L. Dennis, nominated by President Bill Clinton. Judge Edith Jones, nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan, strongly dissented.
The 5th Circuit currently has one vacancy. If it agrees to the state’s request, the case would likely be heard by the court’s current contingent of 16 full-time “active” judges. Dennis and King are both on “senior status” with a limited work load. But as participants in the panel hearing, they could be part of the full-court hearing under court rules.
Of the 16 active judges, 12 are Republican nominees.
veryGood! (49331)
Related
- What is best start in NBA history? Five teams ahead of Cavaliers' 13-0 record
- Two boys, ages 12 and 13, charged in assault on ex-NY Gov. David Paterson and his stepson
- YouTuber Jack Doherty Crashes $200,000 Sports Car While Livestreaming
- Phillies strike back at Mets in dogfight NLDS: 'Never experienced anything like it'
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Americans for microRNA find
- How Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene Got Its Name: Breaking Down the Storm-Identifying Process
- TikToker Taylor Rousseau Grigg’s Husband Speaks Out After Her Death
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
- Georgia elections chief doesn’t expect Helene damage to have big effect on voting in the state
Ranking
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- Tia Mowry Details Why Her Siblings Are “Not as Accessible” to Each Other
- Social media users dub Musk as 'energetic' and 'cringe' at Trump's Butler, PA rally
- Supreme Court declines Biden’s appeal in Texas emergency abortion case
- Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
- Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Leaves His and Wife Robyn Brown’s Home After Explosive Fight
- Ex-Delaware officer sentenced to probation on assault conviction
- Hot-air balloon bumps line, causing brief power outage during Albuquerque balloon fiesta
Recommendation
-
College Football Playoff ranking release: Army, Georgia lead winners and losers
-
Matthew Broderick Says He Turned Down SATC Role as the Premature Ejaculator
-
Georgia elections chief doesn’t expect Helene damage to have big effect on voting in the state
-
Supreme Court rejects Republican-led challenge to ease voter registration
-
Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
US court to review civil rights lawsuit alleging environmental racism in a Louisiana parish
-
Texas still No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll but rest of college football top 10 gets reshuffling
-
Old Navy’s Cozy Szn Sale Includes $24 Sweaters, $15 Joggers & More Fall-Ready Staples Up to 68% Off