CASE SUMMARY

On December 20, 2022 the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and a group of Mississippi voters filed a federal lawsuit against Mississippi's State Board of Election Commissioners, Governor, Attorney General, and state legislative leaders challenging the state's legislative redistricting plans as violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs' Section 2 claim asserts the maps dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians because at least 4 additional majority Black state Senate districts and 3 majority-Black state House districts could have been drawn in specified regions of the state, while their racial gerrymandering claim asserts that race was the predominant consideration in the creation of state Senate districts 2 and 34 and state House districts 22, 34, and 64 in violation of the 14th Amendment. They are seeking a judicial declaration that the legislative plans violate Section 2 of the VRA and the U.S. Constitution, an injunction barring the state from using the plans in future elections, and for the court to establish a deadline by which the state must enact lawful remedial plans and, if they fail to do so, for the court to order the adoption of remedial plans.

On July 2, 2024, the three-judge panel rejected plaintiffs' arguments that Mississippi's legislative maps violated the 14th Amendment and rejected 4 of plaintiffs' 7 proposed illustrative districts. The court did order the state to create 3 new majority-black districts (2 in the Senate and 1 in the House). After subsequent briefing the legislature was given until the end of the 2025 regular session to enact new maps.

CASE LIBRARY

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Northern Division - No. 3:22-cv-734