Tate Reeves rescinds special session on 2026 judicial redistricting
tate reeves said Wednesday he will rescind his special session call on judicial redistricting after the plaintiffs in Mississippi’s Supreme Court case said they will not seek new elections in 2026. That removes the Legislature’s planned meeting next Wednesday from the calendar and halts the redistricting timetable tied to the court case.
Reeves said on SuperTalk Radio Wednesday morning that the plaintiffs have stipulated they are not going to seek any new elections in 2026 on judicial races in Mississippi. “Because of that, there is no longer any reason for the Legislature to come in on next Wednesday for judicial redistricting and so I do not expect that the Legislature will come in next Wednesday because there is no reason to do so,” he said.
Mississippi Supreme Court case
The special session had been called after litigation over Mississippi Supreme Court district lines. U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ordered the 1987 lines redrawn to accommodate greater black voting strength, and the case has since been remanded back to her court.
Earlier this week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the liability order in the case. Aycock then gave the parties 14 days to file on next steps, putting the dispute back before the court even as Reeves moved to pull the session call.
Reeves and the Legislature
Reeves said he plans to rescind the special session call later Wednesday. He also said he believes the case should be dismissed at this juncture, while adding that he supports having the maps redrawn by the Legislature between now and the 2027 legislative session.
The governor did not commit to calling a special session to redistrict congressional districts. He said, “Understand something, that maybe while it may be in the best interest of some individual politicians in Mississippi to talk about congressional redistricting, what happens in Mississippi doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”
For now, the immediate legislative step is off the table, and the court case remains open in Aycock’s court.
