Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Reeves Sets Special Session on Mississippi Supreme Court Maps After U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

The timing defers action until a ruling that may narrow Voting Rights Act protections.

Overview

  • Gov. Tate Reeves, who announced the move Friday, said lawmakers will meet 21 days after the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Louisiana v. Callais.
  • A federal judge ruled last year that Mississippi’s central Supreme Court district violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and ordered new lines, but legislators declined to redraw during the regular session.
  • The state appealed the ruling, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the appeal on hold until the Supreme Court decides Callais.
  • U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock has set a Tuesday hearing in Aberdeen to review new judicial maps, and she is not bound by the governor’s timetable.
  • The court’s order blocking use of the old map has left Justice David Ishee unable to qualify for reelection even though his term does not end until January 2028.