On Monday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a lower-court opinion that had found Mississippi’s current state Supreme Court map violated the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn, Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Facebook post.
The court’s action dissolved an injunction that had prevented Mississippi from using the map, Reeves said, meaning the current map can be used in upcoming elections.
Reeves said he had set a special session of the Mississippi Legislature to begin next Wednesday to preserve lawmakers’ right under state and federal law to have the first opportunity to redraw the Supreme Court map. He said he is recalling and dissolving his April 23, 2026, proclamation calling for that session because the injunction has been lifted.
The governor said he expects lawmakers to redraw congressional, legislative and Supreme Court lines sometime before the 2027 elections and added, “Today is not the end of the redistricting process — it is just the beginning.” This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
