A federal court challenge to the malapportionment of districts in the 2000 cycle.

When the legislature failed to reach agreement on a congressional plan in the 2000 cycle, a state court drew districts instead, but that state plan was subject to preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  Because the state court’s plan would not be precleared in time for the candidate qualifying deadline, the federal court on Feb. 26, 2002, enjoined the purported state plan until a state plan could be precleared, and drew congressional districts of its own in the interim.  On appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that ruling on Mar. 31, 2003.

When the legislature again failed to reach agreement on a congressional plan in the 2010 cycle, the Mississippi Republican Party asked the court to amend its 2002 judgment to draw new congressional districts for the 2010 cycle.  On Dec. 30, 2011, the court obliged, and drew new districts of its own.  The court ordered those districts to remain in place until the state produced a new precleared congressional plan.

In 2022, after Shelby County v. Holder eliminated the geographic trigger for preclearance, the Mississippi Republican Party asked the court to allow the state’s new 2020-cycle congressional plan to go into effect (without the need for preclearance).   On May 23, 2022, the court agreed, and vacated its 2011 injunction requiring preclearance for a new plan.  The order was appealed, but on Feb. 21, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.