Attorneys representing individuals affected by Mississippi's felony disenfranchisement laws have filed an appeal urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the state's practice of stripping voting rights from individuals convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent offenses like forgery and timber theft. The appeal argues that Mississippi's lifetime disenfranchisement policy is outdated and harsh, making it a national outlier as most states have moved away from such practices in recent decades.
This marks the second recent attempt and the third since the late 19th century to challenge Mississippi's disenfranchisement laws. The appeal seeks to reverse a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which stated that any changes to the laws should be decided by the state's legislators, not the courts.
