DeSoto County residents sue Mississippi over majority-Black judicial districts

Four DeSoto County residents have asked a federal court to strike down Mississippi’s new judicial subdistrict map, arguing that a 2025 redistricting law packs voters by race to control seats that still govern the entire county. The lawsuit names former Republican gubernatorial candidate and current County Supervisor Robert Foster among the plaintiffs, and it sets up a direct clash over whether a map designed to strengthen Black representation can itself be attacked under the Voting Rights Act.

The complaint targets H.B. 1544 and S.B. 2768, which created a new fourth circuit judge and a new third chancellor for DeSoto County. Those judges would be elected from a majority-Black subdistrict, but they would hold countywide authority and jurisdiction. The plaintiffs say that arrangement gives nine of DeSoto County’s 47 precincts control over offices that affect the full county, even though the subdistrict represents only 22.6% of the county’s voting-age population.

In the complaint, the plaintiffs call the map “racially motivated and mathematically problematic” and say it “deny[s] 3 out of 4 DeSoto Countians the right to vote based on race.” They are asking the court to dissolve what they describe as a racially divided voting system and to halt the upcoming elections tied to the new districts. A hearing in the case is set for July 22.

The case also follows a separate DeSoto County redistricting lawsuit filed in September 2024 over the county’s 2022 map for supervisors and other local offices. U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson rejected that challenge in June, finding there was not enough evidence that the county’s districts were intentionally drawn to dilute Black voting power. His ruling came after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision.