A U.S. Supreme Court decision out of Louisiana is triggering a special session at the Mississippi Capitol and raising new questions about how district lines should be drawn.
JACKSON, Miss. - A U.S. Supreme Court decision out of Louisiana is triggering a special session at the Mississippi Capitol and raising new questions about how district lines should be drawn.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana map that added a second majority-Black district, saying race played too big a role in how the lines were drawn. Jackson State University political science professor Dr. D’Andra Orey said the ruling could have major ripple effects. Orey said the concern is how courts apply the Voting Rights Act going forward.
ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jarvis Dortch said if states have more freedom to draw lines without factoring in the impact on race, some communities could end up with less say, even if they make up a large share of the population.
“The court is giving Mississippi the green light to go back to those same schemes and same gerrymandering tools… to limit the ability of Black voters to have a say in who represents them,” Dortch said. Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst rejects that idea and said the decision puts redistricting back where it belongs.
“The courts have said it’s repugnant to have an ideal of a colorblind society when the courts have used the Voting Rights Act this way. So, this is going to normal the playing field. It’s going to make politics in the political realm and not in the judicial system. And I think it’s going to make sure that everyone has one person, one vote,” Hurst said.
The decision triggers a special session in Mississippi, where lawmakers are expected to take up state Supreme Court district lines. Those elections are nonpartisan, and the districts haven’t been updated in decades. The call is currently limited, but people on both sides are watching to see whether this turns into a broader redistricting fight in Mississippi. Fisherman missing after falling off Cedar Point Pier in south Mobile CountyMan convicted in Theodore teen’s death arrested after skipping $75 monthly restitution payments
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