Federal judge says Mississippi’s state Supreme Court districts violate Voting Rights Act

• Mississippi’s three Supreme Court districts have been in place since 1987.

A federal judge has ruled that Mississippi’s three state Supreme Court districts violate the Voting Rights Act.

The decision was handed down by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock on Tuesday. She said the Legislature should redraw the districts prior to the next election, but stopped short of giving a deadline. That could come at a future status conference.

Aycock, nominated by former President George W. Bush, has served on the federal Northern Mississippi court since 2007.

Should the State appeal, the case would be heard by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mississippi voters elect three justices in each of the districts, referred to as Northern, Central and Southern. Those districts have been in place since 1987.

The ACLU of Mississippi, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other attorneys representing black plaintiffs sued the State in 2022 over the Supreme Court districts.

Primarily at issue is the Central District which includes a large swath of the Delta with a high population of black residents. Of the three justices elected from that area, only one is black. In addition, a Democrat- and Legislative Black Caucus-backed white justice, Jim Kitchens, lost his re-election last year to a conservative, then-State Senator Jenifer Branning.

In response to the day’s ruling, the Mississippi Democratic Party celebrated, saying, “This is a win for Mississippi.”

For decades, the way we elected state Supreme Court justices wasn’t fair. A 1987 map split up Black communities—especially in the Delta—making it nearly impossible for Black voters to elect candidates who reflect their values. Only four Black justices have ever served on the state’s highest court, and none were elected,” the party posted on social media. “But now, that’s changing.”

The Democratic Party said they “fought to expose these injustices,” vowing to keep fighting “to make sure the new map empowers all Mississippians—not just the privileged few.”