The state of Mississippi is going to have to redraw the maps for electing Supreme Court justices.
Dyamone White, Derrick Simmons, Ty Pinkins, and Constance Harvey-Burrell sued the State Board of Election Commissioners, Governor Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Secretary of State Michael Watson in U.S. District Court in 2022. A battery of lawyers from the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center represented the plaintiffs.
Justices are elected from three districts on at "at-large basis." The current map used was created in 1987, nearly 40 years ago. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock noted only four black Supreme Court justices have been elected. They were all first appointed by a sitting Governor before running for election.
The plaintiffs alleged the map violates the Voting Rights Act by "illegally diluting" the votes of Black citizens in the Central District.
The 105-page opinion held the map is indeed illegal under the Voting Rights Act. Judge Aycock held:
At this time, the Court finds that declaratory and injunctive relief are appropriate. It is hereby DECLARED that the current Mississippi Supreme Court electoral map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Defendants are hereby ENJOINED from utilizing the current electoral map in any further Mississippi Supreme Court elections.
As to the need to enact a new plan, the Court notes that this is first an issue for the Legislature. See Robinson, 86 F.4th at 601 (“Federalism concerns are heightened in the present context: even after a federal court has found a districting plan unconstitutional, redistricting and reapportioning legislative bodies is a legislative task which the federal courts should make every effort not to preempt.”) .... (additional citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Additionally, when questioned by the Court at the conclusion of trial, counsel agreed that, in the event of a liability finding for the Plaintiffs, the Mississippi Legislature should first be given an opportunity to enact a new plan prior to this Court taking any action in that regard. The Court agrees and will provide the Mississippi Legislature an opportunity to enact a plan in compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Court will convene a status conference with the parties to address an appropriate deadline to impose upon the Legislature to take such action.
Judge Aycock was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2007.
Kingfish note: The current justices will serve out the remainder of their terms but all future justices will be elected from newly-drawn districts.
48 comments:
This will also affect the Transportation Commissioner and Public Service Commission districts. It will be interesting to see how they split up the MDOT Districts since they don’t have split counties within a District.
Dunno. Central District in those two offices is electing black commissioners and are majority-black.
MS SCOTUS shouldn't be elected.
People seem to be tired of racial equality issues being so prominent in the day to day. This ruling may be sound and well reasoned but the populace is angry and this wont go over well.
You mean because it will put black people on equal footing with white people? Oh, the horror!
to 7;08.................apparently federal judge Sharon aycock was not ''tired''.
you dont know much about mississippi politics do you? here we like to vote on everything .
all the way down to dogcatcher.
But states in the northeast that voted 40% for Trump have 0 congressional representatives that are republicans and somehow thats ok?
August 19, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I'm aware. I'm also voicing my displeasure with it. It's how Jackson gets "judges" that give criminals slaps on the wrist.
Clue me what states are you talking about.
This is not a political issue many blacks are Republicans.
A compromised city or board attorney (often appointed) can turn a whole damn city or county out in less than 4 years.
Aycock isn't cleaving by political party but in Mississippi that effectively ends up being the result when cleaving by race.
7:41 - MS judicial elections are nonpartisan. What’s your point and how is it relevant?
Yes all the judges should be the highly qualified appointees. For example Aycocks replacement has the qualification that his wife works for the Senator Wicker and the other appointees wife works for Senator Hyde.
If all people are equal why do districts have to be gerrymandered based on race? Does the federal court assume black = democrat? That seems rather prejudiced.
hopefully the state will appeal and the 5th circuit will overturn
Appeal
I was taught in law school that a federal judge is a lawyer who knows a U.S. senator.
Who needs elections and who needs the franchise when you have federal judges?
SPLC is evil
In 2024 Trump received +/- 43.47% of the vote in Illinois…but…out Illinois’ 17 congressional districts…only 3 are currently represented by Republicans.
Just look at the Illinois congressional map to see an absolute definition of Democrat gerrymandering. Hypocrite liar Democrats act like it’s a sin when the other side plays their same game.
Violent crime creates and keeps the flight in place that creates and keeps an area Democrat forever. Violent crime is a Democrat Party tactic and the Anti-Civil Liberties Union and Southern Poverty Law Center are helping Democrats achieve their “keep violent crime high” goal.
So a decision has been made that this abomination can be cured by slicling MS into three vertical pieces?
6:41 An inconvenient truth: This federal judge did not invent the Voting Rights Act. Some of the most conservative judges have found themselves having to uphold it's provisions. It's the Law. States like Mississippi made it necessary. Sorry.
All of the people who vote are American citizens, or that used to be true. We keep hearing the only difference in people are the color of their skin. If that is true why would we need to make any area special just for the black people? We are all citizens and want the same thing. We keep hearing that all of the time but we still see our government give special privileges to people depending on their skin color. Maybe if we all did really think all people are the same we would not have to go through all of this non sense.
This could break up the "good ol' boy's club" on the court.
to 7:41............political parties are not mentioned in the us constitution.
that surprises alot of people including 7;41.
however voting is specifically mentioned in the u s constitution and federal law.
voting is also a fundamental right, like free speech.
7;41 is functional illeritate when it comes to the united states constitution, as are 98 % of people in mississippi.
Marxists like SPLC and ACLU are race mongering justice so ghetto thugs can continue to menace peaceful citizens and run towns and cities into the sewer, to "get even", as a form of reparations.
Are we going to talk about Benny's Congressional District 2 and it's gerrymandering or nahh?
If you misspell Illiterate with "illeritate" are you illiterate? Inquiring minds want to know.
8:24 & 8:58 AM, thanks for the lawyerly professor like perspective civics lesson but we’re going to pass on any lectures from the pro-chaos, pro-crime and pro-criminal Democrat Party, or RINO’s too stupid to know that we are in a civil cold war.
Slime ball slicksters like 8:24 & 8:58 ALWAYS have a lawyerly professor like reason why it’s OK for them to (in this case) gerrymander in places like Illinois, but it’s not OK for the other side to do the same.
Too mathematically stupid to know “Voting Rights” don’t mean s__t to signature forgoing on ballots voter fraud Democrats.
Before falling for 8:24 & 8:58’s scam reasoning, scroll to 5:40 in the vid below to see why no one should listen to any “voting rights” horse s__t from criminal Democrats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b2lnBWnq_U
Sec 2 of VRA to be abolished by SCOTUS next year anyway, State could just appeal and delay. But i fully anticipate state to capitulate and redraw lines. Also look for Tate to appoint minority candidate(s) to fill upcoming 2 vacancies as a legacy appointment.
My recollection is that this issue was tried back in the 1990s, the State prevailing. If my memory is correct, what’s different now? Were the kids in Fitch’s AG office aware of that? In any event, how many seats will have to be gerrymandered to satisfy her honor? Should we name them the Bennie Bolton seats?
Bennie Thompson of Bolton seats
The Klansmen (and Klan wannabes) who comment on some of these posts sure have mighty thin skin (and a deficiency of brain cells) when it comes to the US Constitution.
The candidates running for public service commissioner and transportation commissioner use the same districts as the supreme court. But that doesn't have to be the case. If the legislature redraws the lines they can also make that change.
Gerrymander tht sucker!
I HAVE TO HAND IT TO YOU 9:33..... those spell checkers can trip a man up now and then.
but thats the only mistake you will find in the comment at 8;58.
you in the 98% ?.................id bet my last nickel you are.
........to the garbage mouth @ 9:53.............you seem to be a real conspiracy theory republican . trump should appoint you to a big position in the justice department.
but, until he does , why do we need to watch a video ? why dont you just tell us?
dont be playing ''ive got a secret''.
A “voting rights” lecture from the voter fraud pro-crime Democrat Party. Funny stuff.
I hope this makes these "victims" happy.
Well, there is a reason no one has mentioned. The black candidates for MSSC in the Central District have sucked. Rueben Anderson, Fred Banks, and the other two were good, solid candidates with strong records. Frankly, Latrice Westbrook and Earle Banks are lousy candidates. One doesn't even practice law or barely does. Another is not exactly known for her legal acumen. Want black justices elected, run better candidates.
9:53 I'm a Republican and a conservative but I do believe that a judge worth a damn should follow the LAW whether he/she or his/her lame-brained neighbors holler and scream. That law came at a time when we were treating half the people of this state like rats and we know it. Times have changed and maybe that law should too. Until it does don't blame the Judge. 8:24
Until this past election, no female had ever served on the court without first being appointed. Did aycock mention that?
Slice up districts like pizza instead of jigsaw puzzles.
A fair slice for all!!
to 9:53........i must be a stupid RINO..........tell us more about the ''civil cold war''...................this i got to hear.
KF – thanks for all of your posts, but especially this one. Listening to these criminal loving Democrats pretend that they actually care about “rights,” and pretend to care about what’s right, has been hilariously entertaining.
Reminds me of the Forbes.com Youtube vid a couple months back (linked below) when Senator Kennedy made a complete a__ of the leftist Democrat hypocrite “professor,” proving that when
“someone is in the white house that (she) agree(s) with, and someone gets a universal injunction against him, (she) doesn’t like universal injunctions. (She) called them judges acting like politicians in robes.” “But now that President Trump’s in the White House, who (she) dislike(s), (she) think(s) that universal injunctions taste like pumpkin pie.”
Democrats have no morals…at all. Democrats love chaos, Democrats love violent crime, and Democrats love violent criminals. So, no surprise AT ALL that Democrats love gerrymandering when it helps Democrats, then cry like self-righteous p_____s when the same game is played against them.
Thanks again KF, I’m sending you a check!
P.S. 9:33, I love the “If you misspell Illiterate with "illeritate" are you illiterate?” Bwahahaha…funny stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMiMo6oFrhE
6;05 says he gonna send the fish a check,,,,,,,,,,,,,,fish , dont hold your breath.
the only thing this guy got is a mouth the size of the steering wheel in your truck.
ACLU is the only thing standing up for the 1st amendment in Rankin County.
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