Supreme Court Leaves Mississippi's Jim Crow-Era Voting Ban Intact

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge against Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for individuals convicted of various felonies. This Jim Crow-era policy has been challenged for violating the 14th and 8th Amendments, but remains in effect following the Court's decision.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to review a challenge to Mississippi's lifetime voting ban for those convicted of numerous felonies. This policy, dating back to the Jim Crow era, is one of the strictest voter restrictions in the United States.

The justices dismissed an appeal against a previous court verdict that upheld the ban. The lawsuit argued that the restriction violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause and the 8th Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. This legal action was initiated in 2018 by six men, both white and Black, who lost their voting rights despite completing their sentences.

The contested law, encoded in Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution, denies voting rights for life for crimes ranging from murder to seemingly lesser offenses like writing a bad check. Implemented in 1890, the law was designed to disenfranchise Black voters post-Civil War by targeting what were considered 'black crimes.'

(With inputs from agencies.)