A federal court has ordered that Mississippi’s legislative districts must be redrawn in several areas because Black voting power has been diluted.
Tuesday evening, the United States Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled in favor of the state conference of the NAACP over the Mississippi Election Commission, affirming an argument that the state has violated section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act after the state redistricted the legislative boundaries in 2022.
“The court rightly held that the Mississippi Legislature used the redistricting process to dilute the power of Black voters,” Mississippi ACLU Executive Director Jarvis Dortch said. “Those legislative districts denied Black Mississippians an equal voice in state government.”
Those violations amounted to a loss of Black voting strength, and the court has now directed the state to create a new Black-majority Senate district in areas around DeSoto County and around Hattiesburg. The court also demands a new Black-majority House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties. The ruling states it is the wish of the court that the state does this before the 2025 legislative session, which begins in January.
“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 ruling reads.
Legislative redistricting occurs every 10 years after the federal census. In 2022, lawmakers voted to approve the new redistricting plan. In the suit filed in 2022, groups representing the NAACP argued that Black voters were piled into districts and their voting strength was diluted because of it.
The state has a Black population of about 38%. As of 2024, there are 42-Black majority districts in the 122-member House (34.4%) and 15 Black majority districts in the 52-member Senate (28.8%).
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The Mississippi Election Commission, which consists of Republicans Gov. Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Secretary of State Michael Watson, could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, begin the process to elect those new lawmakers or ask for more time.
If the commission were to move forward with adjusting the map to account for majority Black districts, Reeves would have to call a special session for lawmakers to finalize the new district plan and then hold special election.
Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Maryasa Lee told the Clarion Ledger the office was still reviewing the court’s decision as of about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Cory Custer, Reeves’ deputy chief of staff, did not return phone calls or messages requesting comment by 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Watson’s Communications Director Elizabeth Jonson said MSOS had received the 119-page decision and is also still reviewing.
“We will discuss with counsel soon and chart a path forward,” she said.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s deputy chief of staff Leah Smith did not respond to requests for comment by 1 p.m. Wednesday. House Speaker Jason White’s Communication Director Taylor Spillman said White’s team is still reviewing the decision.
Although the three judge panel agreed with the NAACP, it did not affirm all that the plaintiffs brought against the state.
“The Mississippi State Conference NAACP is pleased with the decision of finding some of the districts discriminatory to Black voters, although we wish the court had gone further,” Charles V. Taylor, Jr., executive director of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP, said.
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Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
