Thompson’s ‘Reign of Terror Is Over’

Key Points:

• Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves canceled a special legislative session to redraw the state's Supreme Court electoral map after a federal appeals court ruled a majority-Black district is no longer required, but urged the legislature to redraw legislative, Supreme Court, and congressional districts before the 2027 elections.
• The cancellation follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, leading to the vacating of a court order requiring Mississippi to create majority-Black districts for electing Supreme Court justices, potentially rolling back Black voting representation gains.
• Gov. Reeves and other Republican officials have expressed intentions to redraw Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, currently held by Black Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who vowed to fight any efforts to change the district, which is 64% Black and a key seat for Black political representation.
• Mississippi Republican leaders, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, have praised the Supreme Court ruling and called for eliminating Thompson’s district, framing redistricting as a states’ rights issue and criticizing race-based districting.
• The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus and Democratic leaders have called for transparency and warned against weakening Black voting power, emphasizing the importance of fair representation and cautioning against behind-closed-doors decisions on redistricting.