Note: The Brennan Center is not a participant in this case.
Case Background
Three African American voters from Mississippi State Senate District 22 filed a federal lawsuit challenging the district under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Plaintiffs alleged that the district dilutes the votes of African Americans and prevents them from electing their candidate of choice. The plaintiffs also claimed that District 22 could be redrawn to increase the black voting age population from 50.8% to 60%, which would permit them to elect a preferred candidate.
On February 13, 2019, the court concluded District 22 violated Section 2. The legislature then redrew the district. On August 1, 2019, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling and approved the use of the legislature’s redrawn district for future elections.
The defendants requested a rehearing en banc, and on September 23, the Court of Appeals granted the rehearing. Oral argument took place on January 22, 2020. On June 19, 2020, the en banc Court of Appeals unanimously declared the issue moot, vacated the lower court’s opinion, dismissed the appeal, and instructed the lower court to dismiss the case.
Documents
District Court
- Complaint (July 9, 2018)
- First Amended Complaint (July 25, 2018)
- Defendants’ Answer to the Amended Complaint (August 8, 2018)
- Motion for Expedited Schedule (August 30, 2018)
- Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (September 4, 2018)
- Defendants’ Brief in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment (September 4, 2018)
- Defendants’ Brief in Opposition to Motion for Expedited Schedule (September 7, 2018)
- Plaintiffs’ Brief in Support of Motion for Expedited Schedule (September 11, 2018)
- Plaintiffs’ Brief in Opposition to Motion for Summary Judgment (September 18, 2018)
- Order Granting Motion for Expedited Schedule (November 11, 2018)
- Motion to Convene Three-Judge Panel or Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction (January 24, 2019)
- Brief in Support of Motion to Convene Three-Judge Panel or Dismiss (January 24, 2019)
- Order Denying Motion to Convene Three-Judge Panel or Dismiss (February 5, 2019)
- Defendants’ Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law (February 6, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Supplemental Brief in Opposition to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (February 10, 2019)
- Order (February 13, 2019)
- Memorandum Opinion and Order (February 16, 2019)
- Notice of Appeal (February 19, 2019)
- Defendants’ Motion to Stay Order Pending Appeal (February 19, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Brief in Opposition to Motion for Stay (February 22, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Motion to Extend Qualifying Deadline in Two Senate Districts (February 25, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Brief in Support of Motion to Extend Qualifying Deadline in Two Senate Districts (February 25, 2019)
- Order (February 25, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion to Extend Qualifying Deadline (February 26, 2019)
- Jim Hood’s Brief in Reponse to Motion to Extend Qualifying Deadline (February 26, 2019)
- Defendants Phil Bryant and Delbert Hoseman’s Brief in Opposition to Motion to Extend Qualifying Deadline (February 26, 2019)
- Order (February 26, 2019)
- Order Denying Motion for Stay (February 26, 2019)
- Final Judgment (February 26, 2019)
- Notice of Appeal (February 27, 2019)
- Motion for Stay Pending Appeal (February 28, 2019)
- Order (February 28, 2019)
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgment (March 1, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Brief in Opposition to Motion for Stay (March 1, 2019)
- Defendants’ Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion for Stay (March 1, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Supplemental Brief in Opposition to Motion for Stay (March 3, 2019)
- Plaintiffs’ Second Supplemental Brief in Opposition to Motion for Stay (March 4, 2019)
- Order Denying Motion for Stay (March 6, 2019)
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Motion for Stay (March 15, 2019)
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (appeal of February 16 order)
- Judgment (February 28, 2019)
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (emergency motion for stay of judgment)
- Appellees’ Response to Appellants’ Emergency Motion for Stay of Judgment (March 11, 2019)
- Reply in Support of Emergency Motion for Stay of Judgment (March 12, 2019)
- Proposed Amicus Brief of Judicial Watch, Inc. (March 15, 2019)
- Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Motion for Stay (March 15, 2019)
- Non-Dispositive Published Opinion (March 22, 2019)
- Revised Non-Dispositive Published Opinion (March 25, 2019)
- Motion for Expedited Initial Appeal En Banc (April 8, 2019)
- Petition for Hearing En Banc (April 8, 2019)
- Reply in Opposition to Motion for Expedited Initial Appeal En Banc (April 12, 2019)
- Reply in Support of Motion for Expedited Initial Appeal En Banc (April 15, 2019)
- Order Granting Motion for Expedited Appeal (April 16, 2019)
- Expedited Briefing Order (April 16, 2019)
- Appellants’ Brief (April 18, 2019)
- Appellees’ Brief (May 6, 2019)
- Order Denying Motion for Hearing En Banc (May 7, 2019)
- Appellants’ Reply Brief (May 13, 2019)
- Opinion (August 1, 2019)
- Judgment (August 1, 2019)
- Opinion and Dissent (September 3, 2019)
- Order Granting Rehearing En Banc (September 23, 2019)
- Appellants’ En Banc Brief (October 23, 2019)
- Amicus Brief of Judicial Watch (October 23, 2019)
Appellees’ En Banc Brief (November 22, 2019)
- Amicus Brief of the American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, League of Women Voters of the United States, League of Women Voters of Mississippi, and Common Cause (November 29, 2019)
- Per Curiam Opinion (June 18, 2020)
- Judgment (June 18, 2020)