Case Summary (Originally Thomas v. Bryant)

On July 9, 2018, three African-American voters in Mississippi brought suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi challenging their state senate district under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (“VRA”). Plaintiffs alleged the Mississippi legislature’s apportionment of their district dilutes the votes of African-American voters and sought a court order to redraw their district to better allow African American voters to elect their candidate of choice. On February 13, 2019, following a trial on the merits, the district court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered the state legislature to redraw the district at issue, which they subsequently did under protest.

On February 28, 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, with one judge dissenting, affirmed the district court’s ruling and approved the use of the legislature’s newly redrawn district. The defendants requested a rehearing en banc, which the Fifth Circuit granted on September 23, 2019. Additional briefing commenced and oral argument was held on January 22, 2020. On June 19, 2020, the Fifth Circuit dismissed the case as moot because the 2019 elections had been held and the map at issue would no longer be used.

Case Library

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi - 3:18-cv-00441

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - 19-60109

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - 19-60133

Thomas v. Reeves
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