U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock’s decision marks the first time a federal court has required Mississippi judicial districts be redrawn. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by various legal groups on behalf of Black civic leaders.
The case centered on the state’s three Supreme Court districts, which were drawn more than a century ago and have remained unchanged since 1987. Plaintiffs argued that the current lines “crack” the Mississippi Delta, a region with numerous counties where Black residents make up a majority, effectively dividing the community and preventing Black voters from electing candidates of their choice.
Judge Aycock agreed, finding that the map unlawfully weakens the influence of Black voters in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Ahmed Soussi, a senior staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the makeup of the Supreme Court across state history shows Black voters have not had an equal voice.
“In Mississippi history there's only been four black justices ever in the court, but only one at a time, and they've all actually followed each other in the same seat with the pattern of first being appointed by a governor,” Soussi said.
The court also noted that Mississippi’s high rate of felony disenfranchisement exacerbates the problem by shrinking the number of eligible Black voters in key districts. Soussi said this acknowledgment was significant.
“Whenever we’re talking about Mississippi, you have to talk about the reality of the situation and that there are a large group of Black voters who are unable to vote because of this discriminatory provision,” he said.
The state could appeal the ruling, but if it sticks, state lawmakers will be tasked with drawing new district lines. Sen. Derrick Simmons, a plaintiff in the case, is hopeful the ruling will lead to a more representative judiciary.
“I believe the legislators will be forced just to do the right thing, and I think it’ll ultimately result in the Supreme Court looking more like the state of Mississippi,” Simmons said.
Multiple legislative districts were redrawn earlier this year after courts found they violated the Voting Rights Act.
