The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal challenging Mississippi's practice of disenfranchising individuals convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent offenses. This decision leaves intact the state's Jim Crow-era law that permanently strips voting rights from those who have completed their sentences.
The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that the state legislature, not the courts, should address any changes to the law. The court rejected the argument that the permanent loss of voting rights constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
