Federal judge refuses last-minute bid to block DeSoto County majority-Black judicial subdistricts
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock on Thursday denied a request to prevent majority-Black subdistricts from electing new county judges months before the November election, ruling the plaintiffs had not shown sufficient need for court intervention so close to the vote.
The lawsuit was filed by DeSoto County Supervisor Robert Foster, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate, and other county residents. The plaintiffs contend the state Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act by creating majority-Black subdistricts for the state judiciary, according to court filings.
Aycock wrote that ordering a change to district lines for an upcoming state judicial race would come too close to the election, and noted the U.S. Supreme Court has said lower courts should avoid such last-minute changes. “The Plaintiffs have not provided sufficient evidence to justify this Court’s involvement,” she wrote.
The plaintiffs said the Legislature’s redrawing of the state’s court districts gave DeSoto County an additional circuit judge and an additional chancery judge, but required those judges to be elected from majority-Black subdistricts. A subdistrict elects a judge from a smaller area within the main district, though the judge may still hear cases from anywhere in the district, court documents say.
The suit names the three-member State Board of Election Commissioners as defendants, a panel composed of Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Michael Watson and Attorney General Lynn Fitch. Attorneys for the DeSoto County residents did not respond to a request for comment. MaryAsa Lee, a spokeswoman for Fitch’s office, declined to comment.
Aycock denied the plaintiffs’ immediate request to block the subdistricts from taking effect, but she allowed the litigation to continue. She said she could order the parties to submit new briefs and evidence and could issue a ruling on the full case after further proceedings.
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