TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Apr 9, 2024

Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, and Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, are co-sponsoring a bill that would allow a judge to restore someone’s right to vote separate from other rights, including those regarding gun possession, jury service, holding public office and certain fiduciary powers. The Associated Press reports that SB2913/HB2380 seeks to undo restrictions established in July 2023, when election officials interpreted a state Supreme Court ruling as requiring people convicted of felonies to get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge, or show they were pardoned, before they can apply for reinstated voting rights. In January, the elections office confirmed that voting rights restoration also requires getting back gun rights. A group of Democratic lawmakers previously asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate that policy.