Sunday Serendipity, more Jazz

So have you seen this? 

Tennessee protesters could now lose their right to vote under a new law Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed with little fanfare Thursday.

Protesters who camp out on state property, such as the activists who have demonstrated for months outside the state Capitol against racial injustice, could now face felony charges punishable by up to six years in prison. Convicted felons are automatically stripped of their voting rights in Tennessee.

The new law, which went into effect immediately, outraged civil rights groups, who say the move is Tennessee’s latest attempt to repress voting ahead of the November elections.

“The racial motivation underlying the law is undeniable,” said Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “It’s a clear backlash response to the Black Lives Matter movement and to people who are decisively protesting racial injustice and police violence.”

Clarke said her organization is considering a sweeping lawsuit addressing all the ways she believes Tennessee Republicans are trying to suppress and intimidate voters.

“To criminalize protest activity and disenfranchise voters on top of it defies principles that lie at the heart of our Constitution,” she said. “It’s pouring fuel on the fire when communities are seeking justice, change and reform.”

Tennessee is among the states not allowing voters to use fear of the novel coronavirus as a reason to vote by mail. In the state, it is a crime to distribute mail-in ballot applications. Last year, a federal judge blocked a new Tennessee law that sought to restrict voter registration drives.
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The TN law violates at least two amendments to the Constitution – the First for sure – and IMHO is subject to an injunction barring enforcement so long as the complaint has people whose right to vote would be impacted in order to ensure standing to challenge it.