Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called off a planned special session to redraw the state’s Supreme Court districts, even as he said Mississippi could still revisit its congressional map amid a broader GOP redistricting push in the South.
Reeves announced Wednesday that he would cancel the special session scheduled to begin next week, which had been called to address Mississippi Supreme Court districts. Several Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump had pushed Reeves to add congressional redistricting to the agenda as part of a broader effort to create safer Republican seats amid a nationwide redistricting battle.
Reeves said the cancellation came after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a prior ruling requiring Mississippi to redraw its state Supreme Court districts. The lower court had previously found that the districts violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting power.
Trump had previously urged Mississippi Republicans to move forward with redistricting, writing in a Truth Social post that states should not conduct elections under unconstitutional maps simply for the “convenience” of state legislatures.
Reeves noted that redrawing the congressional map before the midterms would be difficult to complete in time during an interview on SuperTalk Mississippi Radio on Wednesday morning. The governor also warned that forcing a new congressional map could risk hurting Republicans in Mississippi elections.
Mississippi held its Primary Election in March, just before the Louisiana v Callais ruling.
This comes just a week after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the Democrats’ redistricting push unconstitutional, even as state primaries have already taken place.
“It’s complicated,” Reeves said, “Every issue surrounding redistricting is complicated, and I think it is fair to say that we are looking at every potential option as to what they may look like, and when is the best time to look at it.”
Reeves stressed that he still wants the state to redraw congressional districts and was adamant that Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson’s hold on Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District will eventually end.
“The tenure of Congressman Bennie Thompson reigning terror on the 2nd Congressional District is over,” Reeves said. “It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”
Reeves’ office pointed the Daily Caller News Foundation to a recent X post by the governor when asked for comment.
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