Federal Judge Tosses Election Map Used for Mississippi Supreme Court

A federal judge ordered Mississippi to revise an electoral map used in voting for state supreme court justices after determining that it violates the federal Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock held on Aug. 19 that the current map unlawfully dilutes the voting power of black voters and violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The judge also ordered the state not to use the map until it can be redrawn. The case is known as White v. State Board of Election Commissioners. Section 2 prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in a large language minority group. Courts have interpreted the section to forbid race-based gerrymandering. Gerrymandering refers to the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to benefit a particular party or constituency....