Mississippi Senate Rules Committee blocks effort to revert district boundaries amid voting rights concerns
The Mississippi Senate Rules Committee on Monday rejected a measure that would have reverted two majority-Black state Senate districts back to majority-white districts if the U.S. Supreme Court weakens the federal Voting Rights Act, according to sources.
Sen. Jeremy England, a Republican from Vancleave, filed the resolution as a ‘trigger’ to restore district boundaries to their pre-2024 configurations. The measure came days before the end of the 2026 legislative session. The move was in response to a 2024 federal court ruling that found the state’s district redrawing in 2022 unlawfully diluted Black voters’ influence.
The federal order led to 14 special elections last year, resulting in two Democratic victories in traditionally Republican areas. England told Mississippi Today he supported the original district maps but sought to prepare for potential federal changes that could impact voting rights protections.
Members of the Senate Rules Committee did not vote to advance the measure, effectively killing it. Sen. Dean Kirby, a Republican from Pearl, said since no action was taken, the measure was dead. The legislation aimed to preemptively address possible Supreme Court rulings that could narrow protections under the Voting Rights Act, which plaintiffs used to challenge the state’s district boundaries.
Johnny DuPree, a Democrat and one of the newly elected legislators from Hattiesburg, opposed the resolution. He told Mississippi Today he believed it was too early for the Legislature to act before any Supreme Court ruling. DuPree said the redistricting process was designed to reflect community interests and population shifts, and he viewed the measure as an unnecessary barrier to voters’ choices.
Following the special elections and the federal court’s order, some legal experts noted that a majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices have signaled they might restrict parts of the Voting Rights Act. However, Senate Democratic Leader Derrick Simmons said he does not believe the state’s legal challenges would be invalidated solely because of potential Supreme Court rulings, and he emphasized the importance of protecting voting rights.
Source: Original Article
