Mississippi needs to update its state Supreme Court districts to ensure Black voters have a chance to elect a candidate of their choice in a state with a history of racially polarized voting, Black plaintiffs say in a lawsuit filed Monday.
Four Black justices have served on the Mississippi Supreme Court — never more than one at a time.
Ty Pinkins of Vicksburg, one of the plaintiffs, is an attorney who works in the majority-Black Mississippi Delta. He said it’s important that his relatives and neighbors feel they are fairly represented on all levels of government, including in the judicial system. Mississippi legislators adopted plans this year to update the state’s congressional and legislative district boundaries to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 census.
The Black voting age population in the central district is now about 49%, which is the highest in any of the three districts, according to the suit. A Black candidate lost to a white candidate in the central district in 2012 and 2020.
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