Mississippi Supreme Court Strikes Down Anti-Democratic Law Targeting Jackson's Judges

The Mississippi Supreme Court has struck down a provision of House Bill 1020, a law targeting Jackson's majority-Black population, that would have allowed the chief justice to appoint four unelected "temporary" judges to the Hinds County Circuit Court. The court ruled that this provision violated the state constitution and deprived Jackson residents, who are 80% Black, of their right to vote for judges. However, the court upheld another provision of the law that creates a new court system with an unelected judge in the Capitol Complex Improvement District. A separate federal lawsuit challenging multiple aspects of the law is ongoing.