A federal judge has ordered special elections for the Mississippi Supreme Court after ruling that the state's electoral map violates voting rights. The decision stems from a lawsuit claiming the map dilutes Black voters' influence. New elections could occur as early as November 2026.
In Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock issued an order on Friday directing the state to hold special elections for its Supreme Court. This follows her August ruling that the current electoral map, in place since 1987, breaches Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters.
The map splits Mississippi's Delta region—a historically Black area—in half, weakening Black voting strength in the Central District, according to a 2022 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Mississippi is nearly 40% Black, yet the nine-member court has never had more than one Black justice at a time. Only four Black individuals have ever served, all appointed to the same Central District seat by governors.
Judge Aycock has given the Mississippi Legislature until the end of its 2026 regular session to redraw the map. Once approved, she plans to swiftly schedule special elections for November 2026, though she will decide affected seats later. The state's nonpartisan Supreme Court elections will fill vacancies created after two justices were recently appointed to federal judgeships; Governor Tate Reeves will name interim replacements.
Ari Savitzky, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, welcomed the ruling: "We couldn't be happier to see justice on the horizon."
The Mississippi Secretary of State's Office is appealing the August decision. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has paused proceedings while awaiting outcomes from related cases, including a U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Section 2. The offices of the Secretary of State and Attorney General did not immediately comment.
