Federal court orders state to redraw three legislative districts to reflect majority Black population

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - State lawmakers will again have to tackle redistricting, thanks to a ruling handed down by a federal court.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled that at least two state Senate districts and one state House district would have to be redrawn after judges determined the 2022 redistricting maps unlawfully diluted Black voting power.

The court also ruled that once the lines are redrawn, special elections would be needed in the new districts.

The Senate Minority leader Sen. Derrick Simmons notes that the ruling says the new districts should be drawn before the 2025 legislative session.

“So it sounds like special session talk, or it sounds like the court would give us an opportunity to do what we should do as the Mississippi Legislature in redrawing these districts. And if we fail to do it, then the court would do it,” said Simmons.

The ruling comes more than two years after the Republican-led House and Senate adopted the new district lines, and more than a year and a half after the NAACP and others filed a complaint under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The decision is being praised by various civil rights groups, with Ari Savitzky, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, saying in a statement that it’s a “win for Black Mississippians.”

“The 2022 maps illegally prevented Black Mississippians from fully and fairly participating in our democracy in places like DeSoto County, Hattiesburg, and Chickasaw County. The court correctly found that the Voting Rights Act demands more.”

So, why does it matter if you don’t live there? ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jarvis Dortch says it’s setting a precedent.

“We either have districts that are heavily black or districts that are heavily white,” noted Dortch. “We don’t have many districts anymore that are like 40% white or 40% black anymore those districts. Largely don’t exist. That used to be the case. Prior to 2012 you had a more competitive general elections. Then you had a more responsive legislature then, because those districts back then better reflected the state population.”

The court’s ruling represents a partial victory for the various civil rights groups involved. As part of the Section 2 claim, the plaintiffs asked the court to require the state to redraw at least four additional Black-majority districts for the Senate and at least three for the House.

According to the ruling, the court will leave it up to the state to redraw the lines, and it will allow lawmakers to do it in such a way that it will minimize the effects it will have on other districts and minimize the number of districts subject to special elections.

“It is the desire of this court to have new legislators elected before the 2025 legislative session convenes, but the parties can make whatever arguments about timing they conclude are valid,” the court wrote.

A video conference hearing will be slated for either Monday, July 8; Tuesday, July 9; or Thursday, July 11, to discuss matters further.

A full copy of the judges’ order is shown below.

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