Full Breakdown
DeSoto County Lawsuit Over Majority-Black Judicial Subdistricts
7/9/2026, 8:07:43 PM
Lawsuit Challenge
On July 8, 2026, DeSoto County voters led by former Republican gubernatorial candidate and county Supervisor Robert Foster filed a suit challenging Mississippi’s 2025 judicial-district map. The map adds a Circuit and a Chancery judge but mandates election from newly created majority-Black subdistricts. Plaintiffs seek an injunction before the November judicial elections. Judge Sharion Aycock, who previously ruled on a related Voting Rights Act case, will hear arguments on July 22.
Background
The 2025 redistricting adjusted court districts while preserving majority-Black subdistricts created in the late 1980s. Former Rep. Ed Blackmon Jr. championed the reform, saying it would not place incumbents in subdistricts and would give judges extra resources.
Key Parties
Plaintiffs include former Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert Foster, former Rep. Ed Blackmon Jr., and DeSoto voters. The suit names the State Board of Election Commissioners—Governor Tate Reeves, Secretary Michael Watson, and Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who declined comment—as defendants. State Senator Mike McLendon endorsed the lawsuit.
Claims
The complaint calls H.B. 1544 and S.B. 2768 “racially motivated and mathematically problematic,” claiming they treat citizens unequally and deny three-quarters of DeSoto County residents the right to vote based on race. Plaintiffs argue the map violates the Voting Rights Act, a claim complicated by Judge Aycock’s prior ruling on Supreme Court districts that the appellate court reversed after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision.
Official Statements
State Senator Mike McLendon said the legislation singled out DeSoto County and deprives voters of the chance to elect judges for the county. Governor Reeves, Secretary Watson and Attorney General Fitch have not commented. Plaintiffs call the subdistricts unconstitutional race-based restrictions; supporters say they were meant to let Black voters elect judges of their choice.
Opposition
Plaintiffs argue the subdistricts unlawfully restrict voting rights of the majority of DeSoto residents.
Impact
If Judge Aycock grants the injunction, the map will be halted, forcing the state to use an alternative scheme for November judicial elections. The ruling could set precedent for how Mississippi structures race-based judicial districts in redistricting.
Quotes
- “Racially motivated and mathematically problematic, H.B. 1544 and S.B. 2768 are doubly unconstitutional and violate federal law as they treat similarly situated citizens unequally and deny 3 out of 4 DeSoto Countians the right to vote based on race,” — Plaintiffs’ Complaint
- “DeSoto County was singled out.” — Mike McLendon, State Senator
- “Almost every single judge I talked to in the state wanted it.” — Ed Blackmon Jr., Former Rep.
- “They would say, ‘That’s not a bad thing.’” — Ed Blackmon Jr., Former Rep.
Next Steps
The court will hear arguments on July 22, 2026. Judge Aycock’s ruling will decide if the map proceeds to the November elections and may affect redistricting cases.
