Jackson Free Press

A U.S. Circuit Court three-judge panel declared Friday that the Mississippi House redistricting map--rejected three times by the state Senate--is the redistricting plan to beat for state's new House districts, to the likely consternation of Republicans. In its decision, the panel also approved a less controversial Senate district plan already approved by both chambers this year.

"After consideration of the pleadings and the various positions of the multiple parties ... this court is inclined to issue an order that the redistricting plans adopted respectively by the House of Representatives and the Senate during the regular 2011 session, shall be adopted as the interim court-ordered plan for use in the 2011 elections," the panel declared, and added that their proposed interim remedy "appears to be necessary in the light of the acknowledgment of all parties that the existing state legislative districts are unconstitutionally malapportioned," due to population changes revealed by the 2010 Census.

The court wants an interim plan in place before the June 1 qualifying deadline for Mississippi legislative candidates.

During the course of this year's legislative session, the House and Senate both drew up redistricting maps and then submitted their maps to the opposite chamber for approval. For decades, the House and Senate approved the opposite chamber's plan without issue in a kind of "gentlemen's agreement," according to House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi. This year, however, at the urging of Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Senate refused to approve the House plan multiple times. Bryant argued that the House plan does not create enough new majority-Republican House districts to reflect population growth in conservative districts over the last 10 years.

Leaders of the majority-Democratic House argue, however, that the state needs a fair number of majority-black districts to reflect the state's high proportion of African Americans. The state's black voters tend to vote Democratic, however, and a clear majority of Democrat House members would complicate Bryant's call for a GOP House Speaker.

After the Senate refused to approve the House map a second time last month, the NAACP filed suit in federal court, demanding the courts take redistricting out of the hands of the combative Mississippi Legislature, and impose a map reflecting the state's large black population. The NAACP offered their preference of either the House map or a new map devised by the NAACP.

Those with an issue against the judges' decision must bring their argument to a May 10 hearing before the panel. NAACP attorney Carroll Rhodes would not comment on the court's decision, although Rhodes is not expected to fight it. Rhodes stated earlier this month that the court-endorsed House plan contained more majority-black districts than an alternative plan the Mississippi GOP submitted last month.

The GOP is much more likely to put up a fight, however, as the party appeared united with the Senate's rejection of the Democrat-preferred House plan in March. Mississippi Republican Party Executive Director Tim Saler declined to comment on the GOP's next move.