A federal judge has ordered special elections for the Mississippi Supreme Court after ruling the state’s 1987 judicial map dilutes Black voting power and violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The Mississippi Legislature has until the end of its 2026 regular session to redraw the map, and Judge Sharion Aycock said she will act quickly to schedule special elections, potentially for November 2026, once a new plan is adopted. The decision follows a 2022 ACLU lawsuit claiming the map fragments the Mississippi Delta and weakens Black representation, and it comes as Section 2 is under review at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge Orders Special Mississippi Supreme Court Elections After Ruling Map Violates Voting Rights Act
FILE - Mississippi Supreme Court justices, right, listen to arguments in Jackson, Miss., July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
A federal judge has ordered special elections for the Mississippi Supreme Court after finding the state’s judicial election map — enacted in 1987 — violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of Black residents.
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock directed Mississippi in August to redraw the judicial districts and on Friday set a deadline for the Legislature to act. Lawmakers have until the close of the state’s 2026 regular legislative session to adopt a new map. Aycock said she will move quickly, once a revised map is approved, to set any deadlines necessary to hold special elections in November 2026.
Aycock also said she will defer deciding which specific Supreme Court seats will be subject to special elections until after the Legislature adopts the new district plan.
The order stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued the current map splits the Mississippi Delta — a historically Black region — in ways that weaken Black voting power in the Central District. The ACLU said Mississippi, which is nearly 40% Black, has never had more than one Black justice on the nine-member court.
“Mississippi is nearly 40% Black, but has never had more than one Black Justice on the nine-member Court,” said Ari Savitzky, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “We couldn’t be happier to see justice on the horizon.”
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — the federal provision most often used to challenge racially discriminatory election rules — is currently under review at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office is appealing Aycock’s August ruling; the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed its proceedings pending the Supreme Court’s decisions in related cases.
In December, two Mississippi Supreme Court justices were appointed to federal judgeships. Gov. Tate Reeves will appoint interim replacements to serve until new justices are elected under any revised map. Mississippi’s Supreme Court elections are conducted on a nonpartisan basis.
What Happens Next: The Legislature must propose new district lines by the end of its 2026 session. After those lines are enacted, Judge Aycock will determine which seats require special elections and set the schedule, aiming for November 2026 if deadlines permit.
