
Oppenheim v. Watson
What's at Stake
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, and Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2020, seeking to ensure that absentee voting is more accessible to Mississippians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, and Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2020, seeking to ensure that absentee voting is more accessible to Mississippians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most states allow any voter to cast an absentee ballot. Mississippi, however, has long required voters to choose from a list of “excuses” to do so. One of the allowable reasons is for a “temporary or permanent physical disability.”
The Legislature recently amended the law to state that a “temporary physical disability” includes any voter who is “under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19 during the year 2020 or is caring for a dependent who is under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19.”
The groups are seeking a ruling from the court clarifying that all voters who are following public health guidance to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19 may invoke the “temporary physical disability” reason to vote absentee.
The lawsuit was filed in Chancery Court/Hinds County, First Judicial District.
Legal Documents
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09/18/2020
Mississippi Supreme Court Order
Date Filed: 09/18/2020
Download Document-
09/03/2020
ORDER - Oppenheim v. Watson
Date Filed: 09/03/2020
Download Document-
08/28/2020
Sec of State Watson Trial Brief
Date Filed: 08/28/2020
Download Document-
08/28/2020
Trial Brief of Plaintiffs
Date Filed: 08/28/2020
Download Document-
08/27/2020
First Amended Complaint
Press Releases
Joint Comment on Mississippi Supreme Court Voting Ruling
Mississippi Court Affirms Greater Access to Absentee Voting During COVID-19
ACLU and Mississippi Center for Justice File Lawsuit to Bolster Absentee Voting for Mississippians During COVID-19