Mississippi Governor Schedules Special Session for Supreme Court Redistricting

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced Friday that he will convene a special legislative session to redraw the state's Supreme Court electoral districts, scheduling it to begin 21 days after the U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling in the voting rights case Louisiana v. Callais.

The proclamation, signed Thursday, addresses a federal court order requiring Mississippi to revise its judicial maps to comply with Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That section prohibits electoral practices that dilute the voting strength of racial minorities. In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ruled that the current districts for electing justices to the nine-member Mississippi Supreme Court violate the law by limiting the ability of Black voters to elect candidates of their choice, particularly in the Central District, which includes majority-Black areas like the Delta and Jackson metro region.

Reeves stated that the pending Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais has prevented the legislature from having a full opportunity to address the violation. The case, consolidated with related litigation, challenges a Louisiana federal court's requirement for the state to...