Will the Alabama congressional district ruling have an impact on Mississippi?

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters

U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters

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U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters

The Supreme Court has issued a surprising ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court's liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map. The map had one majority Black seat out of seven congressional districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black.

The ACLU of Mississippi has filed federal lawsuits challenging the state's three Supreme Court districts and the 174 legislative seats in the House and Senate. The suits claim the boundaries are racially gerrymandered and prevent African Americans from electing more blacks to office.

The lawsuits have been on hold pending the outcome of Alabama's redistricting case.

Now the head of the ACLU of Mississippi believes the ruling could lead to a more diverse state legislature and the state high court.

"I think that's a benefit for the state as a whole, because we shouldn't have lawmakers choosing their own districts," said Jarvis Dortch, executive director. "That's why we have a legislature that's not responsive to the needs of people, because they feel like they’re going to get elected, no matter what."

There is no word on how soon judges could start moving forward on the lawsuits challenging Mississippi's legislative and Supreme Court district lines.