澳彩开奖

JACKSON, Miss. 鈥� On Wednesday, August 7, 2019,听the United States District Court Southern District of Mississippi in Hopkins v. Hosemann. The 澳彩开奖, along with the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, filed this case in March 2018 challenging Mississippi鈥檚 lifetime voting ban for people with disqualifying felony convictions who have completed their sentences, as well as Mississippi鈥檚 arbitrary legislative process for the restoration of voting rights. More than 68 percent of Mississippians support ending the lifetime voting ban, according to a December 2018 poll conducted by Tulchin Research.
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Statement of Paloma Wu, senior staff attorney with the 澳彩开奖:
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鈥淢ore than a century ago, Mississippi adopted a state constitution that was specifically intended to prevent freed Black people and their descendants from gaining political influence, in part by blocking their access to the ballot box. Mississippians impacted by the state鈥檚 unjust and outdated lifetime voting ban and its arbitrary legislative process for the restoration of voting rights should be encouraged by the Court鈥檚 ruling, which found that our Plaintiff class had standing to challenge them. Our clients are eager to move forward鈥攖o appeal our claims and to proceed on the critical discriminatory intent claim the Court ruled should proceed to trial.
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鈥淭he origins of our state鈥檚 lifetime voting ban for people with past, disqualifying felony convictions is rooted in racial discrimination and strips returning citizens who have paid their debt to society of their voice in our democratic process. Our clients look forward to their day in court where we will argue that the current process for re-enfranchisement is racially discriminatory.鈥�
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Statement of Jonathan Youngwood with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP:
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鈥淲e are pleased that this case is moving forward, and that the court has both given us an avenue to seek an appeal in the Fifth Circuit and preserved a very important claim for trial. The right to vote is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy. 听This case concerns important issues that directly affect the rights and lives of tens of thousands of Mississippi citizens who have paid their debt to society and should be welcome as full members of their communities.鈥澨�

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