The U.S. Department of Justice lodged a complaint in federal court on Wednesday, labeling a Mississippi bill that allows the state to appoint judges in a mostly Black county in the state as “racially discriminatory.”
According to U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, House Bill 1020 undermines the authority of Black elected officials and establishes a two-tiered system of justice in Hinds County. DOJ officials argue that it violates the U.S. Constitution.
“H.B. 1020 intentionally discriminates against minority voters in Hinds County by creating a system of judicial and prosecutorial appointments specifically designed to undermine the historical power of Black residents, through their elected officials, to self-govern,” the complaint says.
Under the law, Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael K. Randolph, who is white, would have the authority to appoint unelected judges in majority-Black Hinds County, where Jackson, the state capital, is situated.
The bill mandates the appointment of four judges to serve in the Hinds County Circuit Court until 2026, as well as a permanent municipal judge in the Capitol Complex Improvement District.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, also white, would appoint two special prosecutors for the new CCID court.
While legislative leaders argued that the bill aims to enhance public safety and combat crime in Jackson, opponents of the bill contend that it would diminish the power of locally elected circuit court judges, who are predominantly Black, and undermine the influence of Black voters in Hinds County. The county’s population is 70 percent Black, and the city of Jackson is 80 percent Black, according to the court document.
“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 Hinds County for adverse treatment imposed on no other voters in the…
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