Fifth Circuit

A day after the Supreme Court denied an emergency bid by the White House to block the law, a federal appeals court is hearing arguments on the case.

In a Friday decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declared Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution, which imposes permanent disenfranchisement for certain crimes, to be unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

A day after the Supreme Court denied an emergency bid by the White House to block the law, a federal appeals court is hearing arguments on the case.

In a Friday decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declared Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution, which imposes permanent disenfranchisement for certain crimes, to be unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.