On July 3, a federal court mandated the state of Mississippi to revise its state Legislative districting map to comprise additional Senate and House districts with a Black majority.
Late on Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi issued a ruling agreeing with civil rights advocates that the districting map, which was adopted and approved by the Republican-majority state Legislature and administration two years ago, violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The court found that the map unlawfully dilutes the electoral power of Black residents of Mississippi.
After an eight-day trial in February, a decision has been made to redraw the districts to ensure better representation for Black communities. The ruling mandates the inclusion of two more Black-majority districts in the Senate and an additional Black-majority district in the state House.
According to the ruling of the three-judge panel, the Mississippi State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a group of individual voters have successfully proven discrimination against Black voters. The plaintiffs in the case have met their burden of proof, as stated by the panel.
The state’s argument that Mississippians’ voting access was impacted by political party preferences was dismissed by the court. Instead, it was determined that the plaintiffs had successfully shown that racially polarized districts were the cause. Additionally, the court acknowledged the growth of the Black population and decline of the White population in Mississippi since 2010, but found that the 2022 redistricting maps did not reflect these changes.
The NAACP’s claims regarding the maps being “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders” were rejected by the jurists.
According to civil rights groups, the decision to challenge the maps was a significant victory for Black Mississippians. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expressed its satisfaction with the ruling.
According to a statement by senior staff attorney, Ari Savitzky, of the ACLU, the 2022 maps created barriers for Black Mississippians to fully participate in the democratic process in areas like DeSoto County, Hattiesburg, and Chickasaw County. The recent court ruling recognized that the Voting Rights Act requires a higher standard to ensure fair and equal participation for all citizens.
As of late Wednesday, there had been no statement from Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch regarding the decision.
