The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is no longer pursuing legal action against legislation passed by Mississippi lawmakers creating a state-run court with appointed judges in Jackson.
For more than a year now, the civil rights group and Jackson residents have been challenging the decision by the Republican-led legislature to expand the state’s authoritative footprint in the capital city through House Bill 1020. But things took a turn last week when the NAACP had a change of heart and ultimately decided to drop its lawsuit.
“Plaintiffs are heartened by reports that the CCID Court will be established with appropriate safeguards for Jackson’s residents, and have decided to drop their challenge to the manner of appointing officials to serve that court,” attorneys representing the NAACP wrote in their motion for voluntary dismissal of the case.
NAACP officials did not elaborate on what sparked its unexpected change in tune. No new developments regarding the state-run court in Jackson’s Capital Complex Improvement District have been announced, but plaintiffs claim to be assured that their primary qualms have been laid to rest.
Defendants in the lawsuit did not oppose the plaintiff’s motion to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the lawsuit could be refiled at a later date.
In 2023, a wildfire of controversy was ignited over the state’s passing of the legislation that served to create the new court while simultaneously expanding state-run Capitol Police’s jurisdiction in Jackson. Both local and federal dissenters saw this as an attempt by white lawmakers to take control of a majority Black city. Roughly 82% of Jackson residents are Black.
The allegations stemmed from the court comprising of appointed judges, rather than elected ones. Not allowing Jacksonians to determine who would be heading the bench in the newly created judicial facility spurred contentions of racism against lawmakers, as the perception was that they did not trust Black residents to adequately choose their leaders.
“This thinly-veiled state takeover is intended to strip power, voice, and resources away from Hinds County’s predominantly-Black electorate, singling out the majority Black
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