(Photo from VisitJackson)
- The State of Mississippi is seeking to follow a 2016 law that created a regional board to oversee the airport while the City of Jackson alleges the takeover has racist motivations.
A U.S. District Court has denied a motion to dismiss filed by the State of Mississippi in a lawsuit challenging its efforts to gain control of the Jackson airport.
The state has sought control of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport since 2016. Yet, the airport remains under the leadership of the City of Jackson and the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority.
Lawmakers created a regional board with nine representatives appointed by the Governor, Lt. Governor, Mississippi National Guard adjutant general, and the Mississippi Development Authority director as well as Madison and Rankin counties and the City of Jackson. The legislation was signed by former Governor Phil Bryant (R).
Jackson sued, with Mayor Chokwe Lumumba (D) calling it racist and alleging that the state was making a power grab. The city wants to be prevent losing its control over the airport and the revenue it generates.
“If the plaintiffs ultimately prove that the State of Mississippi considered race when it passed a law that targeted the City of Jackson and only the City of Jackson, then yes, that would violate the guarantee of Equal Protection,” District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote in his 21-page ruling.
Lawmakers who supported the legislation, including those in the metro Jackson area, have denied any racist intent, saying their only goal is to make the airport the best it can be to serve the citizens of this state.
“If the airport improves, the City of Jackson will improve,” State Senator Josh Harkins (R) said in 2016.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in November 2024 that the city lacked standing, stating, “For numerous reasons that have percolated throughout this litigation, we conclude that the current Plaintiffs, members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, lack Article III standing to sue. Groundhog Day has come to an end. Accordingly, we VACATE the order of the district court and REMAND with instructions to dismiss.”
However, after the Fifth Circuit ruling, city officials asked for clarification, stating that the court’s ruling stretched too far, as parts of the case are still winding their way through the courts.
Judge Reeves did find standing and writing that “after the case wraps up here, there will likely be another appeal to the Fifth Circuit and perhaps a petition for U.S. Supreme Court review.”
Jackson released a statement, reading in part: “The City argues that the 2016 state law seeking to take control of the airport violates both the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions. Jackson taxpayers funded and developed the airport, and we will keep fighting to protect this vital public asset.”
You can read Judge Reeves’ ruling below.
