On Friday, Aug. 4, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Jim Crow-era provision of the Mississippi Constitution that permanently disenfranchised Mississippians with certain felony convictions. The opinion held that the provision violates the 8th Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The decision was authored by Judge James Dennis, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton. Dennis was joined by Judge Carolyn King, a former President Jimmy Carter appointee, while Judge Edith Jones, a former President Ronald Reagan appointee, dissented.