Michael B. Wallace of our Jackson office represented the Republican Party with a favorable outcome for his client regarding the Mississippi Congressional Redistricting Plan.

Based on federal and state law, the Legislature is required to redraw Congressional districts every 10 years to match population shifts. For the first time since the 1990s, the federal courts did not draw Mississippi’s Congressional districts. The Mississippi Legislature adopted a new plan of Congressional districts to be used for elections based on the 2020 census in January 2022.

The new redistricting plan in 2022 was challenged by the Democratic Party and others.  The Republican Party and individual state officers defended the plan. 

The argument was held in front of a three-judge federal panel, composed of Circuit Judge Grady Jolly, Judge David Bramlette, and Judge Henry Wingate.  The Court rejected the challenge and dismissed the complaint.  A contrary ruling might well have delayed elections for a significant period of time.  The imposition of new districts might well have changed the result of those elections.  The dismissal of the action permitted the elections to be conducted as the Legislature had directed. 

The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court but then was dismissed on February 21, 2023, leaving the District Court’s judgment in place.