Federal judges order state lawmakers to redraw legislative districts
MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Mississippi lawmakers will have to redraw some of the state’s legislative districts under an order from federal judges.
The panel found the current lines dilute the power of Black voters in three parts of the state.
The order was issued Tuesday night in a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and several Black residents.
The judges’ decision ordered the legislature to draw a new majority-Black *House* district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties. It also requires new majority-Black Senate districts in and around DeSoto County and in and around Hattiesburg.
A spokesperson from the state’s AG office says it was not immediately clear whether the state would appeal it.
Legislative and congressional districts are updated after each census to reflect population changes from the previous decade.
