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Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed
A panel of three federal judges has approved a revised legislative redistricting plan from the Mississippi Election Commission, which will allow special elections to move forward this year for 15 legislative seats. The court in April had ordered state officials to develop yet another legislative map to ensure Black voters in the DeSoto County area have a fair opportunity to elect candidates to the state Senate. The panel, comprised of U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden and U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick, previously ruled that when lawmakers redrew their districts in 2022 to account for population shifts, they violated federal civil rights law because the maps diluted Black voting power. To remedy the violation, the court allowed the Legislature to propose a new House map redrawing House districts in the Chickasaw County area and a new Senate map redrawing districts in the DeSoto County and Hattiesburg areas. Mississippi lawmakers try to finalize state budget Earlier this year, during the 2025 session, the Legislature attempted to comply with the order and tweaked those districts. However, the plaintiffs still objected to parts of the Legislature's plan. The plaintiffs, the state chapter of the NAACP and Black voters from around the state, did not object to the Hattiesburg portion of the Senate plan. But they argued the Chickasaw County portion of the House plan and the DeSoto County portion of the Senate plan did not create a realistic opportunity for Black voters in those areas to elect their preferred candidates. The judges accepted the Chickasaw County redistricting portion. Still, they objected to the DeSoto County part because the Legislature's proposed DeSoto County solution 'yokes high-turnout white communities in the Hernando area of DeSoto County to several poorer, predominantly Black towns in the Mississippi Delta,' which would make it hard for Black voters to overcome white voting blocs. The panel, comprised of all George W. Bush-appointed judges, ordered state officials to, again, craft a new Senate map for the area in the suburbs of Memphis. The panel has held that none of the state's prior maps gave Black voters a realistic chance to elect candidates of their choice. The court in its latest ruling set deadlines and a schedule for special elections for Mississippi legislative seats impacted by the new maps. The deadline to publicize and share the maps with local election officials is May 12. Candidate qualification to run will run from June 2-9 and the slate of candidates will be submitted by June 13. Absentee voting for the Aug. 5 primaries will begin June 21. Absentee voting for general elections will begin Sept. 20 and general elections will be Nov. 4. This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MS Senate redistricting plan prompts NAACP request for court intervention, redrawn maps
A federal three-judge panel should reject proposals submitted by the State Board of Election Commissioners to redraw several Senate districts in the Desoto County area, Lawyers representing the NAACP and several Mississippians argued on April 29. In the filing, attorneys said the state's latest proposal to remedy Black voter dilution in the Northwest corner of the state falls short of the goal, which was mandated by a 2024 federal court order to redraw legislative districts and create several Black majority districts. Among other arguments, plaintiffs' attorneys wrote the panel should reject the election commissioners' proposal on the grounds that it is the Legislature tasked with redrawing its lines, and the court already rejected the Legislature's proposal. "Any suggestion that the SBEC's own assertions of 'the State's interests' should receive deference or 'flexibility' as the court considers which plan to approve…is simply wrong," plaintiffs' attorneys argued. In December 2022, the NAACP and several state voters filed a lawsuit claiming the Legislature's 2022 redistricting diluted Black voting power, violating federal law. In 2024, the panel agreed and ordered the Legislature to propose a new map creating new Black majority districts. The panel is comprised of U.S. District Court judges Daniel Jordan III and Sul Ozerden and U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick. Other elections related lawsuit: Why MS is appealing mail-in absentee ballot case to US Supreme Court. What to know In the 2025 Legislative Session, lawmakers passed district changes for the House and Senate, resulting in several amended districts and the creation of two Black-majority districts with no incumbent. Once the Legislature sent its new plan to the court, the NAACP challenged the redraw in the Northeast Mississippi and Desoto County areas but not the Hattiesburg-area district changes. Attorneys representing both parties gave arguments for and against the Legislature's plan in mid-April at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse. Those arguments were based on whether the new districts in Northeast Mississippi and the Desoto County area realistically created an opportunity for Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice. The defendants last week submitted their new plan, which would, if approved by the panel, create a Black majority district in Senate District 2 and maintain a slight Black majority district in Senate District 11. The new plan does not create any Senate districts without an incumbent or place any existing lawmakers into the same district. Plaintiffs said in their filing the state's new proposal for Senate District 11 does provide an opportunity to remedy Black voter dilution but not in Senate District 2. They also argued their plan for SD 11, the North Delta district, would be better. "The evidence on balance shows the State Senate candidates preferred by Black voters are likely to be defeated in that district," the plaintiffs' attorneys wrote. Also, by keeping a white incumbent in Senate District 2, David Parker, R-Olive Branch, the state's new plan further reduces the chance of Black voters electing a candidate of their choice, they said. The plaintiffs also argued the state's new plan does not conform to key elements of the Legislature's proposal such as including an open Black majority district in Desoto County. ACLU, state arguments on redistricting: New Mississippi House, Senate districts not yet approved by federal court panel In their filing, the plaintiffs agreed to a secondary proposal set forth by the election commissioners to push back the special election schedule but not change the date for voters to cast ballots. This would give the panel a little more than two weeks from now to consider both the state's and the NAACP's proposals. If either party objects to the panel's ruling, they could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. If approved by the panel, the new schedule would be: May 12 – Deadline to share detailed maps and address libraries with local electionofficials. June 2-9– Qualifying period. June 13 – Deadline for State Executive Committee to submit names of qualifiedcandidates. June 21 – Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) absentee voting begins for primary election. August 5 – Special Primary Election Day. September 2 – Special Primary Runoff Election Day. September 20 – UOCAVA absentee voting begins for general election. November 4 – Special General Election Day. Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: New Mississippi Senate redistricting proposal prompts NAACP objections
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Panel orders Mississippi to redraw DeSoto County legislative districts as special elections loom
A federal three-judge panel on Tuesday evening ordered state officials to develop another legislative map that ensures Black voters in the DeSoto County area have a fair opportunity to elect candidates to the state Senate. The unanimous ruling gave the all-Republican State Board of Election Commissioners seven days to propose a new map for the DeSoto County area, with the state facing a time crunch to hold special elections for numerous redrawn legislative districts in November. The order is another setback for state officials who have fought bitterly with the plaintiffs and among each other to comply with court orders and federal redistricting law. The panel, comprised of U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden and U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick, previously ruled that when lawmakers redrew their districts in 2022 to account for population shifts, they violated federal civil rights law because the maps diluted Black voting power. To remedy the violation, the court allowed the Legislature to propose a new House map redrawing House districts in the Chickasaw County area and a new Senate map redrawing districts in the DeSoto County and Hattiesburg areas. Earlier this year, during the 2025 session, the Legislature attempted to comply with the order and tweaked those districts. However, the plaintiffs still objected to parts of the Legislature's plan. The plaintiffs, the state chapter of the NAACP and Black voters from around the state, did not object to the Hattiesburg portion of the Senate plan. But they argued the Chickasaw County portion of the House plan and the DeSoto County portion of the Senate plan did not create a realistic opportunity for Black voters in those areas to elect their preferred candidates. The judges accepted the Chickasaw County redistricting portion. Still, they objected to the DeSoto County part because the Legislature's proposed DeSoto County solution 'yokes high-turnout white communities in the Hernando area of DeSoto County to several poorer, predominantly black towns in the Mississippi Delta,' which would make it hard for Black voters to overcome white voting blocs. It's unclear if Tuesday's order will impact parts of the election schedule. The judges said they were committed to voters participating in November special elections, but it might change other parts of the pre-Election Day schedule. This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Panel orders Mississippi to redraw DeSoto County legislative districts as special elections loom
A federal three-judge panel on Tuesday evening ordered state officials to develop another legislative map that ensures Black voters in the DeSoto County area have a fair opportunity to elect candidates to the state Senate. The unanimous ruling gave the all-Republican State Board of Election Commissioners seven days to propose a new map for the DeSoto County area, with the state facing a time crunch to hold special elections for numerous redrawn legislative districts in November. The order is another setback for state officials who have fought bitterly with the plaintiffs and among each other to comply with court orders and federal redistricting law. The panel, comprised of U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden and U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick, previously ruled that when lawmakers redrew their districts in 2022 to account for population shifts, they violated federal civil rights law because the maps diluted Black voting power. To remedy the violation, the court allowed the Legislature to propose a new House map redrawing House districts in the Chickasaw County area and a new Senate map redrawing districts in the DeSoto County and Hattiesburg areas. Earlier this year, during the 2025 session, the Legislature attempted to comply with the order and tweaked those districts. However, the plaintiffs still objected to parts of the Legislature's plan. The plaintiffs, the state chapter of the NAACP and Black voters from around the state, did not object to the Hattiesburg portion of the Senate plan. But they argued the Chickasaw County portion of the House plan and the DeSoto County portion of the Senate plan did not create a realistic opportunity for Black voters in those areas to elect their preferred candidates. The judges accepted the Chickasaw County redistricting portion. Still, they objected to the DeSoto County part because the Legislature's proposed DeSoto County solution 'yokes high-turnout white communities in the Hernando area of DeSoto County to several poorer, predominantly black towns in the Mississippi Delta,' which would make it hard for Black voters to overcome white voting blocs. It's unclear if Tuesday's order will impact parts of the election schedule. The judges said they were committed to voters participating in November special elections, but it might change other parts of the pre-Election Day schedule. ___ This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
