Court blocks Mississippi ban on voting after some crimes, but GOP official will appeal ruling

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is violating the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment by permanently stripping voting rights from people convicted of some felonies. That’s according to a split decision Friday from a federal appeals court panel. Two judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ordered the Mississippi secretary of state to stop enforcing a provision that disenfranchises people convicted of specific crimes, including murder, forgery and bigamy. If the ruling stands, thousands of people could regain voting rights. A spokesperson for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch says the Republican expects to ask the full appeals court to reconsider the panel’s 2-1 ruling.