Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced Friday that he will call a special session for state legislators to consider new voting maps after the U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling on Louisiana v. Callais, a landmark redistricting case involving the Voting Rights Act.
The governor said legislators will return to Jackson within 21 days of the high court's decision to redraw electoral maps for Mississippi's three state Supreme Court districts. Those proposed maps are currently stayed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals pending the outcome of the Louisiana case.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic voting rights advocates have argued that Mississippi's proposed maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of Black voters in the state's Supreme Court districts. A U.S. District Court previously sided with plaintiffs who challenged the new lines under the VRA, finding they diminished minority voting power.
Civil rights organizations contend that race-based redistricting protections remain necessary to ensure equitable representation for communities of color. They argue that Section 2's prohibition on discriminatory voting practices exists precisely to address historical patterns of exclusion.
What the Right Is Saying
Reeves expressed hope that the Supreme Court will side with Louisiana in the case, arguing that race-based redistricting constitutes improper governmental classification based on race.
In a statement posted on X, Reeves wrote: 'It is my sincere hope that, in deciding Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court will reaffirm the animating principle that all Americans are created equal and that when the government classifies its citizens on the basis of race, even as a perceived remedy to right a wrong, it engages in the offensive and demeaning assumption that Americans of a particular race, because of their race, think alike.'
The governor stated that 'federal law requires that the Mississippi Legislature be given the first opportunity to draw these maps' and argued legislators have not had 'a fair opportunity to do that because of the pending Callais decision.'
What the Numbers Show
Louisiana v. Callais centers on whether a second majority-Black congressional map, begrudgingly adopted by the GOP-controlled Louisiana legislature after original maps were challenged under the VRA, amounts to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.
Mississippi currently has three state Supreme Court districts that would be affected by redistricting changes stemming from either the high court's ruling or subsequent legislative action.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision will determine whether race-based redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act complies with constitutional equality protections under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Bottom Line
The outcome of Louisiana v. Callais could have significant implications for Mississippi and other states that have proposed maps challenged under the VRA. If the Supreme Court rules to restrict race-based considerations in redistricting, it may embolden Republican-controlled legislatures seeking more favorable district lines while potentially limiting minority voting power protections.
Mississippi is defending its proposed map after lower courts found violations of the Voting Rights Act. The governor's announcement signals he anticipates a ruling favorable to Louisiana's position and wants the state prepared to act quickly once the decision is issued.
The Supreme Court has not yet announced when it will issue its ruling in the case.