Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves calls special session on judicial maps

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he will call a special session to redraw judicial district lines after the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a Voting Rights Act case that could affect how minority voters challenge election maps for diluting their influence.

Reeves announced the decision as the court weighs whether to strike down Section 2 of the act, a provision used in lawsuits that argue election systems deny minority groups equal access to political power. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case last fall, and the decision is expected before the court’s term ends in June, according to the Associated Press report.

In the special-session proclamation, Reeves said Mississippi’s Legislature was “deprived” of the chance to act on the Section 2 violation while it awaited the Supreme Court’s guidance, framing the upcoming session as a legislative response tied to that ruling. The governor also said in a social media post that he hoped the court would “reaffirm the animating principle that all Americans are created equal,” the report said.

The governor’s proclamation specifically relates to judicial districts for the Mississippi Supreme Court. Last August, a federal judge ordered the state to redraw the Supreme Court electoral map after determining it violated Section 2 by diluting the power of Black voters, the report said. Reeves said he expects the Legislature to convene 21 days after the Supreme Court issues its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.

The case has broad implications for how Section 2 is applied nationwide, the Associated Press reported. During oral arguments last fall, the Supreme Court appeared poised to strike down Section 2, the report said, which could change whether minority voters can challenge map-dilution claims using that provision.

For now, the immediate effect Reeves described is procedural and state-focused: a special session scheduled to follow the Supreme Court’s decision, with Mississippi aiming to address a Section 2 problem found by a federal judge regarding its Supreme Court electoral map.