DeSoto County Supervisor Robert Foster and several county residents are asking a federal judge to hit pause on a freshly drawn judicial subdistrict they say is built around race, not fairness. Their complaint targets the Legislature’s 2025 redistricting, which carved out a majority-Black subdistrict to elect an extra circuit and chancery judge. A federal hearing is set for July 22. The plaintiffs argue the design gives voters inside that new subdistrict extra clout over judges who rule countywide, leaving the bulk of DeSoto residents with watered-down influence at the courthouse.
According to Mississippi Today, the lawsuit, filed in early July, names the three-member State Board of Election Commissioners as defendants and attacks House Bill 1544 and Senate Bill 2768 as “doubly unconstitutional” and in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The filing asks the court to stop the DeSoto map from taking effect and to block judicial elections under the current lines. Mississippi Today also notes that plaintiffs include former gubernatorial candidate and now Supervisor Robert Foster, along with several local residents who signed on to the challenge.
Local TV coverage fills in the map details. Action News 5 reports the subdistrict slices out nine of DeSoto’s 47 precincts to elect the additional circuit judge and chancellor, a carve-out the complaint labels “race-based.” The station notes the suit claims roughly 77% of county residents would end up with fewer votes for those judges under the new plan. Plaintiffs want a federal judge to halt the November judicial elections while the case plays out, and Action News 5 has posted the complaint and local legal analysis for residents trying to keep score.
The judicial redistricting measures passed in 2025 as part of a statewide push to rebalance caseloads and add judges where population and case volume have surged, language that appears in the Legislature’s own description of the overhaul. House Bill 1544 revamps circuit court districts, while Senate Bill 2768 reworks chancery districts, and both include subdistricts in selected counties. The Mississippi Legislature’s summary shows the changes took effect last year and set the timetable for the new judicial races.
Judge, Precedent and a Tight Clock
The case has landed before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, who previously ruled on Mississippi’s Supreme Court map in litigation that later shifted after appellate review in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, according to Mississippi Today. Aycock is working against the calendar, since DeSoto’s judicial elections are scheduled for November and any order could scramble the ballot in real time. State Sen. Mike McLendon of Hernando told Mississippi Today that he backs the lawsuit and believes “DeSoto County was singled out” by the Legislature’s plan.
What’s on the Line for DeSoto Voters
If the plaintiffs get the injunction they are after, November’s judicial elections could be postponed or held under a different map altogether, a remedy the complaint argues is necessary to avoid permanent damage to voters’ choices. Action News 5 reports that the challengers say giving extra votes to a relatively small subdistrict distorts how the county as a whole picks its judges. The state attorney general’s office is expected to defend the laws, setting up a high-stakes clash that could decide how judicial power is carved up in DeSoto for years.
An initial hearing is scheduled for July 22, and court records show both sides are set to file briefs ahead of that date. For additional detail on the filing and how the fight is playing in local political circles, see coverage from The Daily Memphian.
