The US Federal Court, Southern District of Mississippi, ruled in favor of the NAACP and said that Mississippi needs more majority Black state Senate and House districts.
Under the 2022 redistricting plan, 29% of state Senate districts and 34% of state House districts were majority Black. The court said this was not enough, and a new majority of Black districts would need to be created in DeSoto County, Chickasaw County, and Monroe County.
The judges demand that Mississippi increase the number of majority Black districts to 33% of the state Senate and 35% of the state House.
The ruling was written by two federal judges appointed by George W. Bush and a circuit judge. The judges mention over and over again that Blacks vote overwhelmingly along racial lines in the state.
Derrick Johnson, the President and CEO of the NAACP, issued the following statement:
“We celebrate the decision made by the federal judges who ruled in this case and decided to stand firm in our nation’s democratic values – especially during this crucial election year. This is not only a win for Black Mississippians, but a win for the culture and for the community. The Voting Rights Act was created to ensure equal and fair access to the ballot for all who participate in the political process. This remains true despite rampant attacks across the country by bad actors who work to dilute the Black vote. Today, democracy wins, Black voters win. The NAACP will remain a fierce proponent for civic engagement and Black voter empowerment in 2024 and beyond.”
“Majority-Minority” District Requirement
Under certain circumstances, the creation of one or more “majority-minority” districts may be required in a congressional redistricting plan. A majority-minority district is one in which a racial or language minority group comprises a voting majority. The creation of such districts can avoid racial vote dilution by preventing the submergence of minority voters into the majority, which can deny minority voters the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. In the landmark decision Thornburg v. Gingles,10 the Supreme Court established a three-prong test that plaintiffs claiming vote dilution under Section 2 must prove:
First, the minority group must be able to demonstrate that it is sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district….
Second, the minority group must be able to show that it is politically cohesive….
Third, the minority must be able to demonstrate that the white majority votes sufficiently as a bloc to enable it—in the absence of special circumstances, such as the minority candidate running unopposed—usually to defeat the minority’s preferred candidate.
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R42482.pdf