By
TAYLOR VANCE/Mississippi Today
Lawmakers on Monday took the first steps toward potentially redrawing Mississippi’s legislative, congressional and judicial districts in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Louisiana v. Callais decision that weakened minority voting protections. The Joint Redistricting and Reapportionment Committee, comprised of House members and senators, met at the state Capitol for the first time since the Supreme Court ruling. The state legislative committee will solicit input from voters in eight different areas of the state over the next two months on how the districts should be redrawn in light of the Callais decision. The committee also voted to hire attorneys from Butler Snow to serve as general counsel. Republican Sen. Dean Kirby from Pearl was elected chairman of the committee, and Republican Rep. Noah Sanford of Collins was named vice chair.
Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann declined to say which districts he thinks the committee should prioritize or even if it was certain the committee will redraw judicial, legislative and congressional districts. “I don’t want to pre-suppose anything,” Hosemann said. “The committee needs to do its work. They’re going to be going all over Mississippi hearing from people.” Though the committee has scheduled eight hearings, some voting rights activists worry the hearings are merely a facade, and lawmakers have already made up their mind to dismantle majority Black districts.
