Mississippi Lawmakers Begin Redistricting Discussions Following Supreme Court Decision
On Monday, Mississippi legislators initiated the process of potentially redrawing the state’s legislative, congressional, and judicial districts. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court’s significant decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened minority voting protections.
The state’s Joint Redistricting and Reapportionment Committee, which includes both House members and senators, convened at the state Capitol for the first time since the ruling. Over the next two months, the committee plans to seek public input across eight regions in Mississippi on how the districts should be reconfigured in response to the Callais decision.
During the meeting, the committee appointed attorneys from Butler Snow as general counsel, with Republican Sen. Dean Kirby of Pearl elected as chairman and Republican Rep. Noah Sanford of Collins as vice chair.
Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann refrained from commenting on which districts might take precedence or if redrawing would definitely occur, stating, “I don’t want to pre-suppose anything. The committee needs to do its work. They’re going to be going all over Mississippi hearing from people.”
Despite plans for eight public hearings, some voting rights advocates express skepticism. Amir Badat, Southern states director and senior adviser for Fair Fight Action, criticized the effort, describing it as “putting lipstick on a pig” and claiming it aims to reduce Black political influence. “No number of meetings or public hearings will change that fact. If the joint committee truly cared about what the public wants, it would end this sham process before it begins,” Badat stated.
The committee’s actions follow a voting-rights town hall organized by Scott Colom, Mississippi’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. The event featured Democratic U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, and Mississippi NAACP Director Charles Taylor, encouraging attendees to ensure voter registration and turnout.
Alsobrooks urged Mississippians to “stay the course and keep fighting” against efforts to weaken majority Black districts, referencing the historic struggle for voting rights. “It was not all that long ago, we’re reminded, that John Lewis walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and was beaten within an inch of his life with a pole that was wrapped in barbed wire” as he marched for voting rights for Black people, Alsobrooks said.
If congressional redistricting is pursued, Rep. Thompson, Mississippi’s only Black and Democratic representative in Washington, may face challenges from the majority-Republican state Legislature. Some Republicans, including state Auditor Shad White, have advocated for changes to Thompson’s district, which includes parts of the Jackson metro area and the majority-Black Delta.
Thompson expressed hope that lawmakers will genuinely consider public feedback from the hearings, stating, “I hope their work will be done in public and not behind closed doors.”
The public hearings are scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
1. Aug. 18 at Itawamba Community College in Tupelo
2. Aug. 27 at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia
3. Sept. 1 at Delta State University in Cleveland
4. Sept. 8 at Alcorn State University in Natchez
5. Sept. 10 at a venue to be determined in Meridian
6. Sept. 17 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg
7. Sept. 22 at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport
8. Sept. 24 at the state Capitol building in Jackson
___
This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
