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(AP) — A judge on Friday ordered special elections for the Mississippi Supreme Court after earlier finding that the electoral map used to select justices violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in August ordered Mississippi to redraw the map, which was enacted in 1987, concluding the current configuration dilutes the power of Black voters.
The Friday ruling gives the Mississippi Legislature until the end of its 2026 regular session to redraw the map.
Section 2, which is the primary way plaintiffs can push back against racially discriminatory election practices, is currently being challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court.
In her August ruling, Aycock noted only four Black people have served on Mississippi’s Supreme Court.
In December, two Mississippi Supreme Court justices were appointed to federal judgeships.
In Mississippi, Supreme Court elections are nonpartisan. »