On July 31st, a three judge panel upheld Massachusetts' felon disenfranchisement law against challenges that Massachusetts disenfranchisement law, violated the Voting Rights Act § 2, 42 U.S.C. § 1973, "because the percentage of imprisoned felons who are Hispanic or African-American is higher than the percentages of those groups in the population of the state."  The First Circuit's decision closely mirrors the argument made by an amicus brief for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation and others, in Muntaqim v. Coombe.  The brief is available here. The Second Circuit's decision deciding the issue in a companion case, Hayden v. Pataki, is available here.