Mississippi's governor said Wednesday that he has canceled a special legislative session during which lawmakers were expected to redraw the state’s supreme court districts. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
May 13 (UPI) -- Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, said Wednesday that he was canceling a special legislative session during which lawmakers were expected to redraw the state's supreme court districts in accordance with the federal Voting Rights Act.
Reeves said, however, that he expects the state to redraw its congressional districts soon.
This comes after a flurry of court activity on multiple levels. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned an order from a U.S. district judge who found those districts violated the Voting Rights Act. The judge, Sharion Aycock, said the district lines should be redrawn to better ensure minority voters could elect candidates of their choice in accordance with the act, Mississippi Today reported.
However, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in late April weakened that part of the act, leading to the overturning of Aycock's order. The judge could still rule that the court districts violate federal law and order them redrawn.
