Federal Court Orders Redesign of DeSoto County Legislative Districts

A federal three-judge panel has ordered Mississippi's State Board of Election Commissioners to redraw state Senate districts in DeSoto County, finding that recent legislative maps failed to provide Black voters a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. The panel accepted revised maps for the Hattiesburg and Chickasaw County areas but determined that the DeSoto County plan continued to dilute Black voting power, in violation of the Voting Rights Act. State officials have been given seven days to submit a new map, with special elections for redrawn districts scheduled for November. The order follows a lawsuit from the NAACP and Black voters alleging the 2022 redistricting weakened Black representation, and ongoing objections from both plaintiffs and some local officials. While the legislature attempted to address earlier court rulings by creating new Black-majority districts, the court found the DeSoto County solution inadequate. The panel warned that the tight timeline may require adjusting the special election schedule.