Mississippi Lawmakers Opposing NAACP Redistricting Lawsuit

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi lawmakers are going to federal court to oppose a lawsuit the state NAACP filed over redistricting.

The suit seeks to block new state House and Senate districts that were approved by the U.S. Justice Department last month. The suit also asks federal judges to draw new districts and to set a new round of legislative elections before the regular vote in 2015.

Members of the House and Senate redistricting committees met briefly Thursday and voted to intervene in the lawsuit to try to block it.

The 122 House districts and 52 Senate districts have to be redrawn each decade to reflect population changes.

Legislators ran in 2011 under the old districts that were drawn after the 2000 Census, and some districts have many more residents than others.