A federal judge has temporarily rejected a request to stop voters in a majority-Black section of Mississippi from electing new county judges ahead of the upcoming judicial election.
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ruled on Thursday against an application brought by Robert Foster, a former Republican candidate for governor and current DeSoto County supervisor, and other residents challenging the creation of majority-Black judicial subdistricts.
The plaintiffs argue that the Mississippi Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act by establishing the subdistricts for judicial elections. Their lawsuit followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which narrowed certain protections for minority voters during redistricting.
Aycock declined to order changes to the district boundaries, citing the proximity of the November election. The judge noted that the Supreme Court has previously cautioned lower courts against making significant changes to electoral arrangements shortly before an election.
“The Plaintiffs have not provided sufficient evidence to justify this Court’s involvement,” Aycock wrote.
Foster and other DeSoto County residents filed the lawsuit last month after the Legislature redrew the state’s judicial districts.
Under the new arrangement, DeSoto County received an additional circuit judge and another chancery judge. However, the two positions are to be elected from majority-Black subdistricts.
A subdistrict allows voters within a smaller geographical area of a larger judicial district to elect a particular judge. The judge elected from that subdistrict can nevertheless handle cases throughout the wider district.
The lawsuit names the three-member State Board of Election Commissioners as defendants. The board consists of Governor Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Michael Watson and Attorney General Lynn Fitch, all Republicans.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while MaryAsa Lee, a spokesperson for Fitch’s office, declined to comment on the ruling.
Although Aycock refused to halt the implementation of the subdistricts at this stage, the lawsuit has not been dismissed.
The judge may still direct the parties to provide additional evidence and legal arguments before making a final determination on the broader challenge.
The ruling therefore leaves the disputed majority-Black subdistricts in place for now, while the legal battle over their constitutionality and compliance with federal voting law continues.
