US appeals court to hear Mississippi voting rights case

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Mississippi’s ban on voting rights for people convicted of some felonies. The case at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday could affect thousands of people. Attorneys challenging the ban say the original list of disenfranchising crimes was put into the 1890 Mississippi Constitution because drafters thought those crimes were disproportionately committed by Black people. State attorneys say Mississippi made changes in 1950 and 1968 that removed the discriminatory intent. Voting rights for former felons can be restored on an individual basis — either by a governor’s pardon or by approval from two-thirds of legislators.