The Justice Department said the new Mississippi law discriminates by giving authority to new officials who are 'not democratically accountable.'
People in Mississippi's majority-Black capital city say the mostly white state Legislature is trying to encroach on their rights of self-government. Republican lawmakers say they're trying to reduce crime and improve water service. Wednesday saying a new Mississippi law discriminates against residents of the majority-Black Hinds County, which includes the capital city of Jackson, by mandating the appointment of prosecutors and special judges.
Kristen Clarke, the department's assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement that Mississippi lawmakers created"a crude scheme that singles out and discriminates against Black residents" in Jackson and Hinds County. Clarke claims the state violated the U.S. Constitution by"creating a new, two-tiered system of justice."
Voters have elected Black officials to most positions in the capital city and county — which are both majority-Black and governed by Democrats. In 2018, Hinds County voters elected four Black circuit court judges to its four elected circuit judge positions. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has temporarily blocked the law from taking effect. Wingate would have to approve the Justice Department's request to intervene in the lawsuit.Long history of discrimination in state capital
The Justice Department noted several other instances the Mississippi Legislature has"shortchanged" the city and county.
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