Judges Order Mississippi to Redraw Legislative District Maps for 2025

JACKSON, Miss. – A federal three-judge panel has ordered the Mississippi Legislature to draw and adopt new state legislative district maps during the 2025 session. The legislature must then hold special elections to fill the seats next year.

The panel, composed of U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden, Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, and U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick, ruled that current districts dilute black voter strength in parts of the state. The judges granted the state extra time, stating that the legislature need not act until the regular 2025 session.

Board of Election Commissioners’ Argument

The Mississippi state Board of Election Commissioners, comprising Governor Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Secretary of State Michael Watson, argued that redrawing the maps before the November general election was not feasible. The judges agreed, citing the need for an equitable remedy for Voting Rights Act violations.

Lawmakers must draw majority-black Senate districts in DeSoto County and the Hattiesburg area, and majority-black House districts in Chickasaw and Monroe counties. This reconfiguration will impact neighboring district boundaries, necessitating multiple special elections in 2025.

The order stems from the Mississippi NAACP’s lawsuit challenging the 2022 legislative redistricting plan. The contested maps resulted in 15 of the 52 Senate seats and 42 of 122 House seats being majority-black districts. The 2023 elections were conducted under these maps.

Current Legislative Composition

In the 2023 elections, voters elected 79 Republicans, 41 Democrats, and 2 Independents to the Mississippi House, and 36 Republicans and 16 Democrats to the Senate. Voting trends indicate districts with higher black populations tend to elect Democrats, while those with higher white populations lean Republican.

Legislative leaders contacted by Magnolia Tribune were reviewing the order and did not want to comment at this time.

Magnolia Tribune first published this article, and it is republished here under a Creative Commons license.