By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Mississippi’s Jim Crow-era practice of removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent crimes such as forgery and timber theft, attorneys say in new court papers. Most of the people affected are disenfranchised for life because the state provides few options for restoring ballot access. “Mississippi’s harsh and unforgiving felony disenfranchisement scheme is a national outlier,” attorneys representing some who lost voting rights said in an appeal filed Wednesday. They wrote that states “have consistently moved away from lifetime felony disenfranchisement over the past few decades.” This case is the second in recent years — and the third since the late 19th century — that asks the Supreme Court to overturn Mississippi’s disenfranchisement for some felonies. The cases use different legal arguments, and the court rejected the most recent attempt in 2023. The new appeal asks justices to reverse a July ruling from the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Mississippi legislators, not the courts, must decide whether to change the laws. Stripping away voting rights for some crimes is unconstitutional because it is cruel and unusual punishment, the appeal argues. A majority of justices rejected arguments over cruel and unusual punishment in June when they cleared the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places. Attorneys who sued Mississippi over voting rights say the authors of the state’s 1890 constitution based disenfranchisement on a list of crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit. A majority of the appeals judges wrote that the Supreme Court in 1974 reaffirmed constitutional law allowing states to disenfranchise felons. About 38% of Mississippi residents are Black. Nearly 50,000 people were disenfranchised under the state’s felony voting ban between 1994 and 2017. More than 29,000 of them have completed their sentences, and about 58% of that group are Black, according to an expert who analyzed data for plaintiffs challenging the voting ban. Related Articles National Politics | Trump convinced Republicans to overlook his misconduct. But can he do the same for his nominees? National Politics | Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad National Politics | Trump gave Interior nominee one directive for a half-billion acres of US land: ‘Drill.’ National Politics | Trump’s team is delaying transition agreements. What does it mean for security checks and governing? National Politics | Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now To regain voting rights in Mississippi, a person convicted of a disenfranchising crime must receive a governor’s pardon or win permission from two-thirds of the state House and Senate. In recent years, legislators have restored voting rights for only a few people. The other recent case that went to the Supreme Court argued that authors of Mississippi’s constitution showed racist intent when they chose which felonies would cause people to lose the right to vote. In that ruling, justices declined to reconsider a 2022 appeals court decision that said Mississippi remedied the discriminatory intent of the original provisions in the state constitution by later altering the list of disenfranchising crimes. In 1950, Mississippi dropped burglary from the list. Murder and rape were added in 1968. The Mississippi attorney general issued an opinion in 2009 that expanded the list to 22 crimes, including timber larceny, carjacking, felony-level shoplifting and felony-level writing bad checks. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in a 2023 dissent that Mississippi’s list of disenfranchising crimes was “adopted for an illicit discriminatory purpose.”Govt walks away from infrastructure alliance�>{�K��9w M���k�KV�&X�e4�o�,��h��d)����0�TVUj�g���K��9��Jl�����?�?I.��*f���)j���:�q�%��8��\�G�|� i��nh�����M*�。

Ravens have big injury concern on offense going into game vs. TexansThere are controversies regarding the operations of the Port Harcourt refinery, which resumed operations recently A report had alleged that the facility has stopped petrol production during a recent visit However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) debunked the report, calling it baseless CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now! Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade. There are uncertainties and controversies surrounding the operations of the recently refurbished Port Harcourt refinery. A recent report said the facility has stopped operations just weeks after restating production. PH allegedly halts production The report said a recent visit to the plant on December 19, 2024, showed it no longer produced petrol. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! It stated that the refinery stopped distributing petrol on December 13, saying its 18-arm loading area, where trucks filled up with PMS, was empty. Punch reports that while 18 trucks were parked along the main road, nine others were in the parking area, and none were loading petroleum products. Read also NNPC clears air on state of Port Harcourt refinery: "Fully operational" The Punch reported that the loading area was empty three weeks ago, and PEROAN said the development was due to equipment calibration and water removal from oil fuel supplies. NNPC reacts to report Reacting to the development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) dismissed the report, saying the facility remains fully operational. The statement issued by NNPC’s chief communications officer, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed the refinery’s status during a recent visit by Mele Kyari, NNPC’s Group CEO. The NNPC asked Nigerians to disregard the report, describing it as baseless and meant to incite panic and cause fuel scarcity . Another Nigerian refinery begins fuel export Legit.ng earlier reported that Kepler, a data analysis firm, has disclosed that the newly refurbished Port Harcourt refinery has already started exporting petroleum products. The firm reported that the refinery sold its first cargo of low-sulfur straight-run fuel to Dubai-based Gulf Transport and Trading Limited. Read also FG speaks on next step after MRS, TotalEnergies, others emerged winners of oil well It also said the facility started its Coolant Distribution Unit 1, with an estimated pinning operation of 20,000 barrels daily. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ng

Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 on Saturday night in a rematch of last season's Elite Eight game that UConn won. "It feels great to get the dub always," USC star JuJu Watkins said after the victory. "I think it hit a little different knowing the history of last year and how they sent us home." This was the Trojans' first win ever over UConn. "This is a really significant win, and it's a really significant win because of the stature of UConn's program and what Geno Auriemma has done for our sport," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "It doesn't matter to me that they haven't won a championship in a couple years. There's still a way that they prepare, a way that they play, that makes you better, and it made us better." UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams. Duke dropped five spots to No. 14 after losing to South Florida on Saturday. The Blue Devils' other two losses this season were to Maryland and South Carolina. The Bulls are 7-6 on the season, with four of those losses coming against ranked opponents (UConn, Louisville, TCU and South Carolina). Alabama jumped back into the poll at No. 20 two weeks after falling out. The Crimson Tide had an impressive 82-67 victory over Michigan State, handing the Spartans their first loss of the season. It was Alabama's first victory over a ranked opponent this year. The Southeastern Conference has eight teams in the poll this week with Alabama's return. The Big Ten is next with seven. The ACC has six while the Big 12 has three and the Big East one. No. 23 Michigan at No. 4 USC, Sunday. The Wolverines start Big Ten play with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Trojans on Sunday and then the Bruins a few days later. Coach Kim Barnes Arico's young team is off to a 10-2 start. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Broncos hope to continue playoff push when they meet the banged-up RaidersIn a recent update to the popular mobile game "Fantasy Beast Palu," developer SoftArc Gaming has made a controversial decision to remove the throwing Poke Balls summoning mechanism, sparking mixed reactions among players and fans of the game.